Like many of you, I don't tell very many people that I do mystery shops. It isn't my full-time job, but I obviously don't want to blow my cover unnecessarily. But, there are some folks who know, such as my parents, etc.
Yesterday, I was speaking to my Dad about a cool shop I got to do and he ended up asking me more questions about how it all works, so we chatted about it for awhile. After we got off the phone, it occurred to me that I should call him back and warn him about scams. I would *hate* for someone I love to be trusting of a scammer just because he knows that I have legitimately done mystery shopping before.
So, if you aren't doing this already, be sure to warn your loved ones that you mention your shopping to about the telltale signs of a scam. Let them know that unsolicited emails, letters, and phone calls about shopping are almost always a scam and that a name of a real mystery shopping company doesn't guarantee that the communication is coming from that company.