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Hi from CA! & a couple of Qs

January 27, 2022 05:32PM
Hello! I am completely new to mystery shopping. I applied to a Market Force Inc ad on LinkedIn and was contacted through text by Mercantile Systems Inc. Are these the same company? I've searched but don't see any info regarding this.

Also, the posts here make it seem like ~$30-50/shop is the norm, but MSI is offering $300?? Are they twisting the truth?

Thank you for your help! This forum has already been enlightening!
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January 27, 2022 06:14PM
Mercantile Systems has some great opportunities and is legit! Have fun!
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January 27, 2022 06:50PM
They are 2 different MSC's. Did you sign up for Mercantile ? They would not text you unless you had. Of course unless a scam. Pay is all over the place depending on the MSC, the time period (beginning or end of quarter), the industry, did a previous shopper flake, how long has the shop been outstanding, etc. etc. etc.
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January 27, 2022 08:48PM
They sent me an email that they want to do a payment to my credit card. This seems...odd? I went to their website and emailed them to ask if this is a legit representative of their company. I will update if I get a response.
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January 27, 2022 09:15PM
Confirmed by Mercantile to be a scam.
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February 16, 2022 11:14PM
If you don’t mind me asking, what is the name of the person you are working with? I was offered $300 per task as well and they sent me a check for $2600 so I won’t have to spend my own money? Idk seems sketchy. The checking account number is legit though, I confirmed it through the bank.
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February 17, 2022 12:38AM
@momos71994gmail.com wrote:

If you don’t mind me asking, what is the name of the person you are working with? I was offered $300 per task as well and they sent me a check for $2600 so I won’t have to spend my own money? Idk seems sketchy. The checking account number is legit though, I confirmed it through the bank.

This is most definitely a scam. The email/phone number likely doesn't match the name of the company they represent. There are very minimal exceptions and this is almost always a scam!
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February 17, 2022 12:41AM
@Emdii wrote:

Hello! I am completely new to mystery shopping. I applied to a Market Force Inc ad on LinkedIn and was contacted through text by Mercantile Systems Inc. Are these the same company? I've searched but don't see any info regarding this.

Also, the posts here make it seem like ~$30-50/shop is the norm, but MSI is offering $300?? Are they twisting the truth?

Thank you for your help! This forum has already been enlightening!

Hi Emdii,
Was this an actual ad on Linkedin or were you directed to the Market Force website? We don't have any Independent Contractor postings on Linkedin that I'm aware of so I'm concerned there is a scam floating around out there.
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February 17, 2022 08:19PM
This was an actual linkedin ad. I reported it and other mystery shopper ads to LI but they said there was no problem. ????
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February 18, 2022 12:25AM
Thanks for replying. I don't see any ads there now so hopefully they've been taken down. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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February 20, 2022 12:41AM
This is a scam. The check is fake and it is going to bounce. You are not the first person to come here for advice. Many people wait until the check bounces. It takes about a week before a check works its way back and bounces. Banks credit accounts the next business day as a courtesy, but they retain the right to reverse the credit. The check is going to bounce. You heard it here.
@momos71994gmail.com wrote:

If you don’t mind me asking, what is the name of the person you are working with? I was offered $300 per task as well and they sent me a check for $2600 so I won’t have to spend my own money? Idk seems sketchy. The checking account number is legit though, I confirmed it through the bank.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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February 24, 2022 10:28PM
Hello, the LinkedIn add is a scam, but they are a real company. I received the same thing and called Mercantile Systems. They said they get 2-3 people a day reporting this scam on LinkedIn. I signed up with them separately on their site to become a shopper, and got paid from my shop.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2022 10:32PM by gabcosgrove3.
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March 28, 2022 03:54PM
As of last week the add is still on Linkedin email address stephenschniedermercsystems@gmail.com phone 515-298-7631 Mercantile Systems Market Research.. Asking for a credit card number
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