I really enjoyed conducting trailer checks and patron counts for certified reports before they deactivated my account for no reason. I was just wondering if anyone can recommend additional mystery shopping companies that also conduct movie theater audits, patron counts, pirate checks, or trailer checks? The only other one I know about is TNS media, however they never seem to have anything available in my area. I live in the NJ/NYC area. I would think there must me several other companies out there that provide this service. Perhaps we can post a list of all of them here as they become known.

Ben

Hanover does trailer checks and other movie shops. I signed up a while ago, but never got an email about one until yesterday. As it required watching every showing of a certain movie (that surely will be on at least 2 screens) before 6pm, I did not apply.

Thanks for the info Dee. I signed up with Hanover, but as you mentioned, it doesn't seem to be as active as certified was. I don't blame you for not taking that assignment with them. I would go crazy having to watch the same movie over and over again. I'm most interested in conducting the trailer checks and calling it a day. Ok, so far other than Certified, we have TNS media and Hanover Media thanks to dee shops. Any more?

ChannelWatch does movie tickets, but I hear terrible things about their nonpayment. I agree with Dee. I do only single trailer checks, and I've never seen tickets for a movie that I would want to see.

Hi There!

I was reading your posts and to let you know that I've done several movie shops in Florida for " www.sassieshop.com/2confero". I know they have locations in other states, but not sure where. This may help you. It's definitely worth looking into. The shops I performed were reveal shops on behalf of a soda manufacturer. They were fun, paid fairly well, and prompt payment. Hope this helps you. Glad you asked the questions, because I'd like to find other mystery shop companies that schedule movies, as well.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2008 12:07AM by joanhampton.

Hi Joan!

Please edit your message to eliminate the client name. Just change it to "soda manufacturer".

Under our Independent Contractor Agreements we are not allowed to reveal who shops whom. The generally accepted standard in forums is not to mention the client and the company in the same conversation thread.

Dear Flash!

Thank you! So sorry. I'll be very careful in the future. I was caught off guard and as you can see, this was my first post, actually my first visit to this location, ever.

The reason I was checking it out is because over the last few days I've received some really bizarre emails wanting me to shop that don''t seem quite right. I was in hopes of finding a place where I could forward them in hopes of verifying their validity and/or where to go to report the strangeness. Can anyone guide me on this one? Thanks for your help and guidance!!

Hey Joan,

Not a problem, but please do edit the soda stuff in your original post. The company name is in the link you so helpfully provided.

There is a lot of real bizarre stuff out there right now and as I am sure you are aware, if it is 'too good to be true' it probably is a scam. Feel free to copy and paste them here for comment. You can also find the "company" frequently by using the Search feature on this or other forums to see former comments about the companies. Also Googling the company frequently will lead to places like "RipoffReport" where folks who got burned or tempted post warnings to others.

Out of the clear blue today I got a job offer for a job paying $2500 per month to start ($4000 after a few month trial period) that claims to take about 3-4 hours per day from the comfort of my own computer. Tempting, yes. Likely, no. I tried Googling the business that is supposedly doing this and nothing came up but job offers posted on CraigsList and similar websites throughout the English speaking world. Hmmm, a company without their own website wanting you to do research for them and report on it via the web . . . If it looks like a scam and smells like a scam, very likely it is a scam.

Dear Flash!

Can you direct me on how to edit the mistake I made in my first post? I'm not sure where to start. I've never done this before. Thanks for your patience.

So, are you suggesting that I copy and paste the emails inside a post right here? I'll do it if that's what you suggest. I'm leary of what they say, it doesn't make much sense in my opinion, but I want other shoppers to be aware of it, too. I'm certain if I'm getting them, then others will or perhaps already are!

I figured out how to edit my error. Here's two of the strange emails. I can't see where they are mentioning a company or even what they are requesting they want done. These seem odd and out of the ordinary to me. Just want other shoppers to be aware of what these emails look like, especially new comers. It seems pretty clear to me they are unusual just by the lack of proper English! Does any one have experience with these?



Hello Shopper,

We are to notify you that a payment will be programmed Citi Bank ATM Card due to Financial Services Authority.The Citi Bank ATM Card will be send to you from the Bank (Citi Bank)

And you will be notify immediately the card was sent out,but we have to let this come to your knowledge that, name on card will be on our client name because the card was applied by our client and you are the authorized second person that can use this card.

What you need to do.

Notification of receiving the credit card from the Bank and get back to us with below information for the activation of the card for immediately use at the ATM Machine.

Please Note:
That, this card can only be use at any ATM Machine that accept VISA Card or MASTER CARD ONLY.We hereby issue you our code of conduct TAG number which is (805) so you must have to indicate this code when contacting us back. If you have any questions about this, please do NOT hesitate to let us know.

Please we are awaiting your response to know if you are satisfy by the method of the payment.

Regards,

Jackson Daniel


Greetings,

We are in need of MYSTERY SHOPPER WANTED earn no less than $500. Need
extra income become our [ MYSTERY SHOPPER]: earn no less than $500 per
venture it is very easy and very simple no application fees.

If you are interested in our offer, please respond with the following
details to our email : [mysteryshopperjobofferforyou@gmail.com] in order for
us to move forward :And Please if you know you don't access your mail box
all time don't apply for this Job Offer cause we need people who can always
respond to our messages

1}FULL NAME : ....
2}FULL HOME ADDRESS : ....
3}CITY : .....
4}ZIP CODE : .....
5}STATE : .....
6}PHONE NUMBER : ...
7}AGE : .....
8}SEX : .....
9}OCCUPATION : .....
10}NATIONALITY : .....
11}MARRIED : .....
12}EMAIL ADDRESS : .....

Thanks.
Anthony Moore

Good grief! I especially like the first one. Sure somebody is going to send a Visa credit card to use in an ATM, I see wings sprouting for the pig that will fly Granted I HAVE received Prepaid Debit cards for specific shops. Usually they are for $25 or $50 but even those are rare, are to be used for the shop and unused balances are not returned. You have to have qualified as a reliable shopper with the company even to see these.

Thanks for your comments. I laughed, too! I've had the same experience with the prepaid debit cards like you have, but these sound completely different. Perhaps an effort to help them launder money? I really don't get them. Oddly enough I'm under the impression the two emails are connected. I thought there was another one and I'll have to go digging for it.

Those scams are very common, JoanH. We see them here daily. We did an informal survey among us and decided that the people who are getting these have entered their email at some unsavory site first. Otherwise how would they know you're a shopper? The legit sites don't sell their lists. I'm very careful with my email addresses, and the only sleazy one I've ever been on is Shadow Shopper, a long time ago. Sure enough I got 2 scam emails recently, and only at the address I use exclusively for shopping.

Joan--have you registered on Shadow Shopper or with any company that sounded not kosher?

LOL. I have never gotten one of the scam emails. I only the get ones (daily) from Nigeria about the same fraud but different issue.
:-)

Dear Sneakers!

You are absolutely right! I forgot about the Shadow Shopper sign up. It was so long ago, but you reminded me. I think I signed on with them well over 5 years ago and probably longer than that. I would have thought they wouldn't even be around any longer. Guess they have fooled lots of shoppers.

I have a question. How do I change my sign in name for this forum? I can do all kinds of mystery shop reports practically in my sleep, but this chat stuff is all foreign to me. I'm certain it's something easy, I'm just not savvy in this area. Give me time! I appreciate everyone's patience!

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it seems as though when I became Gold Certified with MSPA that I agreed for them to supply my name to companies for referral. It even sticks in the back of my mind somewhere that I've gotten legitimate assignments/referrals this way. Not for one minute do I believe MSPA could be behind the scams. I'm only mentioning this because of comments I read above concerning referrals. I'm a firm believer in MSPA one hundred percent. I'm so thankful for their involvement in this industry.

MSPA is perfectly legit. Don't know if they send you out for referrals, but it wouldn't be to scam companies, nor do they sell email lists. The scams may not be companies at all, but single individuals.

Don't sit on the card. You need to report them. Who should she call, Flash? The BBB or the FCC?

I suspect she needed to acknowledge a willingness to work with them before a card was sent, but if it came in the mail I would probably turn over the whole package of stuff to the Post Office if it was an outfit I had never signed up with and if it came by DHL I would probably turn it over to police.

The point is that sometimes (rarely) a new store will send you a debit card GOOD ONLY AT THEIR STORE or a gift card to encourage you to come in and look around. Sometimes a company with whom you have a long relationship will send you a debit or gift card FOR A SPECIFIC SHOP. But "free money" always needs to be looked at for the underlying reason(s).

Flash and Sneakers!

For the life of me I can't figure out what their game even is. I know it can't be for real. I haven't replied to the email. I only posted it here for everyone to read, as Flash suggested. I got it the day I posted it. So far, I haven't done anything more. I'm willing to respond and see where it goes and all of us can try to figure it out together.... How about that? They don't give a company name, as you can see, except for the CITI card thing. So, I'm really not sure who this even is. If it's an effort to launder money, I don't really see how it would be done, doing this? It's definitely out of the ordinary, as I suspect everyone would agree. There's a part of me that is completely glad that I received it, because it caused me to search and find this forum for which I feel thankful! So, I'm thrilled. I have nothing to lose, and it might be fun to see where it leads.

That is a risk you take. While it would be kind of fun to take these guys at their own game, my guess is the only way you could do that would be to string them along and waste their time (as well as your own). Unfortunately very few scams get prosecuted. It is just a low priority these days to protect the public from 'white collar crime'. Much more 'productive' for law enforcement to go after drugs and drug dealers where confiscated vehicles and drug money can be kept at least in part to help finance law enforcement. And of course many of the scams cross state lines or national boundaries.

Do note the post by Bestfr1303 in the Apex thread about getting innocently involved in a scheme that got her a visit by the FBI.

Hi Flash!

I love your attitude and outlook. I'll wait and see if I get another email from them without me responding to the last one and take it from there. If I get anything I will definitely post it so we can all learn what this may be about.

If you ever lack reading material, google "Scamming the Scammers". There have been some uproarious stories of folks luring their would be Nigerian scammers into areas of the country quite dangerous for members of their tribes trying to retrieve money supposedly wired or to be wired to these distant areas. There was one gal who was trying to sell a horse on I think it was Craig's List that a scammer wanted to buy but he would have to send her a very large check for her to wire on some of the funds to a third party and make arrangements for the horse to be shipped to a fourth party. She kept that guy running for several months while the check was supposedly bouncing and subsequent checks were being sent that were "good", stalling because of 'issues' with the shipper or a 'sudden infection' in the horse that the vet said would prohibit export or import, etc. always explaining to her would be scammer that she just couldn't wire on the money until the horse was well and the shipper able to handle the horse. There are even contests out there now for the best scammer scamming stories.

I've been to the website that's similar to that.. Something about the 419 fraudulent fees or something. It's slipped my mind for the moment. I've done some myself. Turned things over to the Feds, FBI, and various local authorities. I used to investigate employee dishonesty claims and it's similar in nature. I love the horse story. That's a good one. The philosophy to these websites is to keep the scammers busy, so as to keep them from preying on innocent victims. It's just amazing the things they do to people and so many have the nerve to do it in the name of God and swear how honest they are. It's sick. The ones that really disturb me are the ones that go after the single women and string them along into believing all sorts of things that tear them apart emotionally and financially. I was assigned a mentor in the beginning and he was from Australia and that was his main area of expertise. Why he chose to work with me I'll never know, but he was brave. He'd pose as a female looking for love and write the wildest things I could never imagine. He'd have 10 to 20 going at all times. I'm still amazed by him. He had better stories than the real ones.

Almost five years ago, I was a passenger in a horrible auto accident. The passenger in the other vehicle was killed instantly. I remember nothing about the accident and regained consciousness on the operating table. So, little by little I'm putting the pieces of my world back together again. Oh, can't forget about being served with divorce papers the week after I got home from the accident by what is now my ex-husband, who is still attempting to try and take my farm away from me. It's complete craziness, so I'm thankful for the peaceful and quiet moments here in the woods. Mystery shopping gets me out of the house, so I don't forget how the rest of the world lives.

Mystery shopping has made me more aware of the clerks and laborers who work for low wages. I have great respect for the ones who do a good job. A good job is a good job on any level. But the ones who don't care.....

Sneakers we definitely think alike. That's one reason why I like mystery shopping so much. It gives me the chance to acknowledge the ones that deserve recognition for a job well done and report the ones that need an attitude check.

Since all of these posts are under the title of "Movie Theatres", I just got assigned two movie theatres for the weekend after Thanksgiving in SE Georgia. So, my boyfriend and I will make a weekend out of it. I received the award packages from DHL, today. Something about ordering a candy combo at the concession stand and if the clerk asks if you'd like a drink with that ....they win the prize. I love these kind. So, my boyfriend gets to pick the movie we see and that makes him happy. I do the rest. If it weren't for mystery shopping I don't think I'd get to go anywhere. My boyfriend is a dentist and doesn't have much adventure to him. So, that part of life is up to me.

I just want to alert those living in North Carolina that I just got an e-mail from Palm Scheduling Services that they're looking for people for Open Movie Checks this upcoming weekend. So, now we have another company who does them to add to the list. So far we have: Certified (horrible company), TNS Media (never heard from yet), Hanover Media, Channel Watch (who doesn't pay all the time), Confero, and Palm Scheduling at times. If any more come to mind or start doing this in the future, please feel free to post.

I think Palm Scheduling simply is a job search site for other ms companies similar to jobslinger.com, kernscheduling, etc.

No, Palm is a scheduler for a handful of specific MSP's, the way Kern is. Neither are the same as Jobslinger, which is a bulletin board.

The movie shops on Palm are being scheduled for Hanovermis.com.

Why does Hanover need another company to schedule their shops for them? I'm confused.

I couldn't tell you specifically about Hanover, but more generally, some companies do not want or need their own schedulers. Some of the smaller companies may snag a client with 2 stores in Nebraska, 1 each in four other states, 150 in California, 46 in the NY/NJ area and a small scattering in a few other states. If they hire a scheduling company they can focus on expanding their client base rather than their shopper base and focus their staff on client acquisition and data processing/presentation to the client rather than the 'flake' in a particular location who had signed up for 5 shops before they disappeared.