Tips to avoid Mystery Shopper Scams
- Do not deposit unexpected paper checks that have been mailed to you, related to a mystery shopping assignment. Scammers will instruct you to deposit the check into your personal account and then wire funds or purchase and mail gift cards. The check will certainly bounce.
- You should never have to pay a company or individual in order to become a Mystery Shopper for them.
- Do not accept assignments involving evaluating money-transfer services, unless it is for a reputable company for whom you have completed and been paid for other types of shopping assignments in the past.
- Be cautious of any jobs with outlandish rewards or cash payments. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Do not trust unsolicited emails if you did not already directly sign up with a legitimate company.
- Avoid all ‘companies’ that claim to pay in advance of shop completions.
- Take the time to research and conduct due diligence on any company you might wish to work with and always contact them directly through a Google search or the MSPA industry trade association. Scammers will often spoof popular mystery shopping company names.
- Always avoid and ignore unsolicited mystery shopping-related emails and text messages, especially if they are coming from Gmail, Yahoo, etc. rather than a real company email account, or a company you have worked for in the past.
CX Group Mystery Shopping Practices
- CX Group never sends paper checks to be used in conducting a mystery shopping assignment.
- CX Group never offers mystery shopping jobs that require making a wire transfer, check deposit or purchase and forwarding of gift cards.
- CX Group email messages only come from name@cxgroup.com or name@secondtonone.com.
We do not email shoppers from Yahoo, Gmail, etc. - CX Group only accepts shopper applications at our official sites: cxgroup.com, second-to-none.com or joinstn.com. We never assign jobs to shoppers who have not applied through our website.
- CX Group only offers shopping assignments through the secure ShopperHub website portal and smartphone App.
- CX Group does not make shopper payments in advance of work being completed.
- CX Group only pays our shoppers by PayPal or direct deposit; never a mailed check.
- For additional information on finding legitimate mystery shopping companies, visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA): www.mysteryshop.org.
Are You The Victim of a Check/Wire Transfer Scam? Do This:
- File a Police Report
- Mail-based check cashing/fund wiring scams that cross state lines may be considered a federal offense. If you are a victim of this, you should contact your local police or sheriff’s department where you live, to file a formal report.
- File a Mail Fraud Complaint with U.S. Postal Inspection Service
- If you received a scam check, letter, instructions, etc. through the U.S. Postal Service, this may be considered federal mail fraud.
You should file a complaint through the Postal Inspection Service online form here: https://www.uspis.gov/report/
- If you received a scam check, letter, instructions, etc. through the U.S. Postal Service, this may be considered federal mail fraud.
- File a Complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- If you are the victim of a check-cashing scam and have lost money through it, file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Service here.
- File Online Report with National Consumers League
- If you are the victim of scam, you should file a complaint with the National Consumers League here.
- Report Check Scams to the Federal Trade Commission
- The Federal Trade Commission encourages all scam victims to file a report through their website here.