Yes, this is unfortunately a scam and one that has been going on for quite some time. We see variations of it in the mystery shopping community but this one is just one that will not go away. Scam artists likely from another country, use our company name and logo and solicit individuals usually looking for opportunities on job sites. They offer to send them a package in the mail with their first assignment information inside and a fake check or money order for upwards of $2300 asking them to purchase gift cards and fill out a short survey. The catch is that they spend most of the money on the gift cards and get to keep a portion of the "money" for themselves. We do receive calls for this daily and it is heartbreaking to hear the stories of those who have fell victim to the scam and their hard earned paychecks being taken away from them.
Unfortunately mystery shopping companies can also be the victims in these scams. Intouch Insight is a legitimate publicly traded company and we offer opportunities through the shared platform I Secret Shop. For more information you can review our website at www.intouchinsight.com and under the mystery shopping tab, if you would like to register to be a mystery shopper, you will be directed to the I Secret shop platform as that is what we use to advertise and schedule our assignments as we all pay our shoppers.
As previously mentioned, we have asked all individuals who have encountered this scam to report it as a consumer scam to the Federal Trade Commission. You can contact them directly at 202-326-2222 or on their website at www.ftc.gov.
If you have any other questions about this scam or our company, you can contact me directly at
fmitchell@intouchinsight.com or 1-800-734-5213 ext 232.