Hi All,
For the record:
1. Our database has not been compromised. Another shopper reporting system was compromised 3 months ago or so, and all of your email addresses were accessed if you were registered on that platform. This was not KSS and it was not Sassie, and we had nothing to do with it. I am not certain this is the database being used right now for these scammers, but it kind of seems like it, since so many legitimate shoppers are getting pinged. Again, this is just a theory.
2. We do NOT (and never have) scheduled for Market Force.
3. Not only did we post a warning on ALL Social Media, we also posted it on her shopper login page: [
www.sassieshop.com]
4. Please look carefully at the FROM email address if you get an email. Our emails will ALWAYS be KSS(name)@kernscheduling.com, as mine is
KSSLorri@kernscheduling.com. No extra letters, no extra extensions.
5. No legitimate mystery shopping company will ask you to purchase gift cards, scratch off the back and send the codes to them. This just SCREAMS scam.
6. No legitimate mystery shopping company will ever pay you hundreds of $$ in advance of doing a mystery shop.
7. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Think. I've been in this industry for 22 years now, and no one has ever paid me $30 for a 5 minute shop with a 6 question survey (unless it was in some BFE rural place in South Dakota or something). If the fee seems too high for the work, ask questions. Google it.
I am horrified and disgusted and frankly pissed off that they are using my company name and logo for this scam, but it isn't just KSS that is being targeted. MANY of my colleagues in this industry (including other scheduling companies and many of my clients) are also battling this.
Please be careful and think about all of the points I made above so that you are not a victim of a scam.
I do appreciate all of our great shoppers, and I also appreciate the smart ones on this board that are helping to educate shoppers. Unfortunately, I don't have time to read all of the shopper boards every day to respond, but I do try when someone alerts me that there are concerns. However, I am always available via email and will typically respond within 24 hours unless I am traveling.
Thanks!