Hi Yall Looking to start mystery shopping, but I don't know how to get into it legitimately. I am worried about getting scammed. Any help here

To start off, go to the New Mystery Shopper section of the forum and read through the threads at the top of that section. Start with the "Nuts and Bolts . . ." to get an idea of how this works. Then there is a list of about 200 companies here at the top of the Mystery Shopping Company Discussion area with links to sign up. When you start shopping I would encourage you to go to Jobslinger.com and see what companies are or have recently been shopping in your area so you know with whom to sign up first. Jobs are most frequently posted on the company's job board, though some companies contact you by email directly.

Please be careful. Companies that send you money up front are bogus. That is not the way the industry works. While that might possibly happen at some point during your shopper career, it will be based on a long term relationship with the company. Do not pay to shop, it just isn't necessary and in most cases will net you little more than you can get for free on this or other forums. As soon as they ask for money or for you to sign up for 'special offers' you have exited the realm of legitimate shopping.

Do NOT ever ever ever pay anyone to let you shop. It's a rip-off. There's a new pay-to-shop site too that tries to tell you that you'll see shops with them that you see with no one else. That's a bunch of crapola and you can tell them I said so. Go to sites which list the legitimate MS companies and sign up with as many as possible. I've been shopping for 15 years now and am signed with well over a hundred. Some companies don't have shops in all parts of the country so keep signing up and then check their job boards. Also you DON'T need certification to get jobs, the MSPA came up with that angle to get your money in their pockets.

I am very much interested in alot of mystery shopping in dothan al, but don't know how to get out there by doing it on here w/out being scammed

RULES TO KEEP FROM BEING SCAMMED

1) Keep your wallet closed. Do not pay to shop or send money to anyone who is purporting to help you get started or find jobs.
2) If someone you have not worked with previously sends you money to deposit to your account up front for payment, figure it is a scam.
3) If someone is offering you payment for a job that looks like a really good deal, it is a scam.

To shop you need to sign up with companies that do shops. Some of those companies will contact you by email or phone about available shops, so know who you have signed up with. Most companies post their jobs on their website's job board for you to self-assign or request. Those are the most usual indicators of a legitimate shop.

Yes, like everything else in the economy, some of the mystery shopping companies are in financial difficulty. Several have just closed their doors leaving shoppers unpaid. More are trying to get shoppers paid but are months behind in their payments. Overall, though, the companies you see discussed on this or other shopper forums are legitimate. Tune in to what shoppers are saying--are they getting paid in a timely fashion? Select the companies you choose to work with accordingly.

And do go to the New Mystery Shopper section of the forum for some quick 'how to's of how this works and how to get yourself organized to shop.

go to volition.com for a list of companies. try sassie.com also. Best of luck.

The best advice was from a scheduler who had earned my trust. He told me to never pay a penny to get a shop. He said that of the 600 mystery shop companies in the US, about 200 of them are legitimate. He said remember, mystery shopping companies pay you, you don't pay them.

So far I have done work for 21 companies and the only losses I have were my own fault in mistakes made.

bamamom. Check your PM's...