Home Malware Programs Fake Warning Messages ‘Mystery Shopper Market Research’ Scam

‘Mystery Shopper Market Research’ Scam

Posted: June 22, 2012

With the global economy still on tenuous ground and with many people looking for any new job opportunities, the 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam is a particularly exploitative variant of an old scam that's used to attack your finances and personal information under the pretenses of offering you a new career opportunity. Although the 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam pretends to be an avenue for steady two hundred dollar checks in mystery shopping positions, the 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam isn't affiliated with any sort of legitimate company and doesn't have any actual job opportunities to offer its victims. If you've given personal information away in a 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam, chances are high that this information will be exploited for fraudulent charges and other finance-related attacks. SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn that 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scams and similar phishing lures have been found using such diverse methods of exposure as third-party advertisements, browser pop-ups and even spam e-mail messages to distribute themselves to victims.

'Mystery Shopper Market Research' Scam: the Well-Aged Bait for a Well-Honed Hook

The 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam is a minor variant on a scam that pretends to offer a mystery shopping job as part of an easy money-making opportunity. A 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam may appear to open up new offers in a world of mystery-shopping, complete with minimum $200 dollar weekly paychecks, but like hundreds of similar scams, the 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam doesn't have any actual money to offer you, nor any real employment opportunities. SpywareRemove.com malware experts encourage you to watch for warning signs of 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' Scam and similar attacks, such as:

  • Mystery shopper offers that request personal information, such as your phone number, e-mail address, credit card number or street address.
  • Mystery shopper companies that claim to be responsible for registering 'certified' mystery shoppers or providing lists of mystery shopper-employing companies; SpywareRemove.com malware researchers note that there is no such certification and lists of appropriate companies are available for free.
  • Companies that request money prior to offering supposed employment within the ranks of mystery shoppers.
  • Job offers that are affiliated with unknown or poorly-known companies, such as the 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' Scam's own 'Market Research Company.'

How to Make Sure You're Not Placing a Scam in Your Online Shopping Cart

'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam and similar scams can be distributed by various methods, but especially through third-party advertising rings, even those that display on normally-reputable websites. As a general rule, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend avoiding mystery-shopping job offers like the 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam that advertise themselves widely on popular and general-interest websites. Under most circumstances, legitimate job offers for mystery shoppers, as opposed to 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scams, are best found at specialist job database sites and at reputable companies that specifically advertise such openings.

Information that's given away in a 'Mystery Shopper Market Research' scam has a very high chance of being exploited for fraudulent charges, account hijacks and other applicable attacks. If you've made this miscalculation, contact the appropriate company and follow their recommendations on how to re-secure the relevant information from future attacks as quickly as possible.

Loading...