The Felon Community & Mystery Shopping

Yes, I believe the person who suggested, ‘almost everyone’ has committed felonies seems to be lumping ‘everyone’ with sex offenders and violent criminals. I believe most mystery shoppers don’t deserve to tarred with the same brush as the dregs of society.

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@Book wrote:

The illegals are getting bankrolled by certain governors with free apartments and credit cards. I don’t think they will be doing any cheap labor soon!

Do you mean asylum-seekers? By definition, they're not undocumented, and you can't even ask for asylum until you are physically present in the US. Also, asylum seekers cannot apply for authorization to work until 150 days after filing their asylum claim (and it can't be issued until 180 days). Trump more than doubled that to 365 days, but that was rescinded in 2022 and it's back to 150/180.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2024 12:40PM by mysterioso412.
@ServiceAward wrote:

@Book wrote:

“.

I agree people should come here legally. Ial.

For the record, more than 3/4 of immigrants in the US came here legally. I think there's a big misconception that most immigrants somehow "snuck" into the country. And most of the people who are here *illegally* didn't sneak in over the border- more than half over-stayed their visas.
About one in twelve adult Americans is a felon. The cut your hair, check you out at the store, fix your car, wait your tables. What I am saying is that we should all stay home and lock our doors.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2024 12:23PM by mystery2me.
@Book wrote:

Yes, I believe the person who suggested, ‘almost everyone’ has committed felonies seems to be lumping ‘everyone’ with sex offenders and violent criminals. I believe most mystery shoppers don’t deserve to tarred with the same brush as the dregs of society.

I understood that post differently. I read it as saying that even most everyday, unconvicted and unaccused people have probably committed a felony at some point in their lives. I'm not sure which specific offenses are felonies but I've probably done one. For instance, "dating" a 17 year old "juvenile" when I was 18. If Marijuana was a felony back then, you could chalk me up for that one too. I probably stole something, too. Don't remember. I was just never arrested or convicted but if they were felonies then I'm a felon, whether caught or not.
Sooooo many ignorant statements on here.
Talk to a project manager who has been handed the responsibility of staffing a mystery shopping campaign where the client wants the ICs to pass a background check, a drug test (MJ doesn’t count), a credit score check, or some combination of the three.

You’ll be surprised at who is in the pool of mystery shoppers. Our industry doesn’t attract the most honorable people, to put it mildly.
@sandyf wrote:

If I had a list of the most common felonies almost everybody commits without getting caught I might agree...lying to your mon?

Depends? Is your mom working in a capacity where you perjured yourself to the extent where you could be charged with a felony? Did you intentionally lie to her with the goal of obtaining financial benefit? Did you lie to her in order to obtain an insurance payout?

@sandyf wrote:

Not doing your homework, crossing against the light? I have never held anyone up at gunpoint. But I suppose there have been a few times when I was not charged for something in a restaurant and did not fess up. Is that theft? A free soda?

Is your homework part of a court ordered sentencing requirement? When you weren’t charged for the items at the restaurant, did you know the person? Was it a “hookup”? Did you have any intent to deprive?


@sandyf wrote:

Almost everybody, at some point in their life, has committed a felony.

Did you know it’s a felony to take a Samsung Note 7 on an airplane?

[versustexas.com]
Not every felony is a violent crime against other persons, even though we (and the dictionary) often associate felonies with violence.

I am an investigator for a company and felonies are committed daily by people, companies and other organizations.

There is quite the negative stereotype of felons, however I have met some very nice people who just made really, really poor choices, got scared, lied and ended up being convicted of various offenses.

What’s interesting to me is the number of people who have been charged with felonies, versus the number of people who have been convicted of felonies. Many are pled down, not prosecuted or dismissed after successful completion of remediation or a court order.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2024 03:41PM by Capurato.
There's a movie called A Day Without A Mexican. I recommend. Kind of a dry comedy but makes a realistic point.
@ServiceAward wrote:



Not all felons are villans. Statistically speaking, you have committed multiple felonies, possibly without even knowing, and never been caught.

What felonies could be committed without knowing you were doing something wrong?
Throughout my teaching career, I have encountered many felons (parents of my students, mostly.)

Not a single one of them was a sympathetic person. Without going into details, they had committed awful crimes against innocent people, most often their own children.

There seems to be a naïveté on this thread about truly terrible human beings. Believe me, they exist, they devastate lives, and you wouldn’t want to work alongside them.
@ColoKate63 wrote:

Throughout my teaching career, I have encountered many felons (parents of my students, mostly.)

Not a single one of them was a sympathetic person. Without going into details, they had committed awful crimes against innocent people, most often their own children.

There seems to be a naïveté on this thread about truly terrible human beings. Believe me, they exist, they devastate lives, and you wouldn’t want to work alongside them.
@Minime wrote:

@ColoKate63 wrote:

Throughout my teaching career, I have encountered many felons (parents of my students, mostly.)

Not a single one of them was a sympathetic person. Without going into details, they had committed awful crimes against innocent people, most often their own children.

There seems to be a naïveté on this thread about truly terrible human beings. Believe me, they exist, they devastate lives, and you wouldn’t want to work alongside them.

The naïveté is not only on this thread, it extends throughout this board. But I must say, the attempt to convince peeps that they’re felons truly takes the cake. I believe that the peeps who endorse this theory probably are felons, and would like to think they’re not alone. I myself am not. Maybe it’s because I have a brain. I can see right through the few wannabe gurus on this board who get off on convincing people of whatever hogwash that fits their agenda.
@Minime wrote:

@Minime wrote:

@ColoKate63 wrote:

Throughout my teaching career, I have encountered many felons (parents of my students, mostly.)

Not a single one of them was a sympathetic person. Without going into details, they had committed awful crimes against innocent people, most often their own children.

There seems to be a naïveté on this thread about truly terrible human beings. Believe me, they exist, they devastate lives, and you wouldn’t want to work alongside them.

The naïveté is not only on this thread, it extends throughout this board. But I must say, the attempt to convince peeps that they’re felons truly takes the cake. I believe that the peeps who endorse this theory probably are felons, and would like to think they’re not alone. I myself am not. Maybe it’s because I have a brain. I can see right through the few wannabe gurus on this board who get off on convincing people of whatever hogwash that fits their agenda.

Exactly.

I absolutely GUFFAWED at the recent post that claimed:

@ wrote:

Even if you look at someone's record, and they are classified as "violent," it doesn't mean they committed actual violence.

Umm, yes, yes it does. The gaslighting is strong with this one.

Folks, unless you have a particular skill set, you don’t want to work with felons. Especially if they’re classified as “Violent,” as in “Violent Sexual Offender.”

Violent criminals are the walking, breathing reason that state and federal background checks exist; to protect the innocents from the wolves who would prey upon them.

Edited to add: I’m a liberal. But I’m a liberal who has been around some manipulative sociopaths over time, and I like to avoid them whenever possible. It’s common sense.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2024 09:01PM by ColoKate63.
@ServiceAward wrote:

@sandyf wrote:

I guess I am living in a different world than the rest of you , or at least the two who made the two statements below...
I would like to know exactly which felonies "almost everybody" at some point committed. I do not think i actually know any of those people. And am I to believe that the majority of shoppers on this forum do not have clean criminal records? I am not talking about minor things like perhaps a parking ticket . I do not consider those people to be criminals unless it is a constant issue for them.
If I had a list of the most common felonies almost everybody commits without getting caught I might agree...lying to your mon? does that count. Not doing your homework, crossing against the light? I have never held anyone up at gunpoint. But I suppose there have been a few times when I was not charged for something in a restaurant and did not fess up. Is that theft? A free soda?

Speaking directly to project managers over the years, I’ve learned that there are a LOT of felons, sexual offenders, and addicts doing mystery shopping. It all turns up when they’re out trying to fill electronics store audits, or luxury car shops, or video casino work.

It’s difficult to find mystery shoppers who have clean criminal records, aren’t on the RSO list, and can pass a drug screening. Even more difficult to find shoppers with a 720+ credit score.

Almost everybody, at some point in their life, has committed a felony.


You are moving the goal posts. Are we talking about what you consider or what the law says? Those are two different things. We are all going to have our own opinion as to what should be a crime and what shouldn't as well as the degree of seriousness of said crimes. My statements reference the law and how the law classifies crime, not my personal opinion.

Things like parking violations and speeding tickets are generally civil in nature and a person committing those offenses would not be considered a criminal, much less a felon. There are exceptions. For instance, if you drive 15 or 20 mph over the speed limit, that is considered reckless driving in many jurisdictions. That would be considered either a misdemeanor or felony. Have you ever driving 15 mph over the speed limit? I have! In fact, in cities like Atlanta and Dallas, the flow of traffic is often well above the speed limit and if you don't keep up with it, you'll get run over.

The reason that "almost everybody" applies is that the federal criminal code is so vast and contains so many obscure behaviors that qualify as felonies, you would never be able to decipher it all. There was a study done a while back that concluded the average person commits 3 felonies per day without knowing it. That's just at the federal level, and does not include the vast array of state laws. Some states still have laws on the books which criminalizes (without getting graphic), certain behaviors between husbands and wives. Of course, these things are not enforced, but I'm not talking about what is or isn't enforced. I am talking about how easily people point their fingers at others who have been caught, while the same people reap the benefit of either not getting caught or committing crimes that involved laws which are not enforced. Again this doesn't mean someone goes about consciously committing crimes. At the same time, however, there are people sitting in prison right now who did not wake up with the thought they were going to commit a crime. The voices from the pulpit, which includes politics on both sides and, at least, local media, highlight the things, the ones putting the gun in someone's face for example. Many people in prison haven't done that. Even if you look at someone's record, and they are classified as "violent," it doesn't mean they committed actual violence. Violence is a legal term that each state and the federal government defines. The definitions vary depending on jurisdiction.

I highly recommend the book, "How to Become a Federal Criminal." It will enlighten you, and you'll laugh, too.

Anyone who scrolled down this far, in answer to Service Award, no I am not moving the goal posts! I am asking what the law considers a felony and gave a few examples for things that MIGHT be on that list. Those questions are not my personal opinion of a felony but a question to those who feel they are expert on the subject.
And no, because, and maybe precisely because, I am not a felon (personal opinion here) I am not talking about These scenarios below. Precisely because I am not a felon I would never even think of these exceptions when asking jokingly if lying to your mom is a felony or not turning in homework.

Depends? Is your mom working in a capacity where you perjured yourself to the extent where you could be charged with a felony? Did you intentionally lie to her with the goal of obtaining financial benefit? Did you lie to her in order to obtain an insurance payout?I
Is your homework part of a court ordered sentencing requirement? When you weren’t charged for the items at the restaurant, did you know the person? Was it a “hookup”? Did you have any intent to deprive?

I do admit I did hire a housekeeper and/or babysitter without paying into their social security. Perhaps that is why I never put myself on the ballot. Almost every other citizen in So Cal seems to be running for something this year.
@sandyf wrote:

Anyone who scrolled down this far, in answer to Service Award, no I am not moving the goal posts! I am asking what the law considers a felony and gave a few examples for things that MIGHT be on that list. Those questions are not my personal opinion of a felony but a question to those who feel they are expert on the subject.

And no, because, and maybe precisely because, I am not a felon (personal opinion here) I am not talking about These scenarios below. Precisely because I am not a felon I would never even think of these exceptions when asking jokingly if lying to your mom is a felony or not turning in homework.

Depends? Is your mom working in a capacity where you perjured yourself to the extent where you could be charged with a felony? Did you intentionally lie to her with the goal of obtaining financial benefit? Did you lie to her in order to obtain an insurance payout?I
Is your homework part of a court ordered sentencing requirement? When you weren’t charged for the items at the restaurant, did you know the person? Was it a “hookup”? Did you have any intent to deprive?

I do admit I did hire a housekeeper and/or babysitter without paying into their social security. Perhaps that is why I never put myself on the ballot. Almost every other citizen in So Cal seems to be running for something this year.

I have dealt with felons, investigated felons, interviewed felons, put together cases against felons for the last 20+ years.

Dealing with low level to high level criminals has taught me a lot. Things you do every day without thinking could easily land you in a world of legal troubles in the blink of an eye.

Fun fact. As of 2023, 47% of the people incarcerated were classified as having committed a violent crime.
Would some felons be more likely than some other shoppers to notice and detail potential security and/or safety issues? Not a felon here. Just climbing back from my fall from credit grace in the 800's to good and improving. Think that covers the recently mentioned problems that we shoppers may present to MSC's and clients...

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)
Service Award. I want to thank you for all the information you have imparted to us since you became a member of this forum. Your insights on many subjects are greatly appreciated by me and I am pretty sure by others as well.
Sandy.
@Capurato wrote:

Fun fact. As of 2023, 47% of the people incarcerated were classified as having committed a violent crime.

That's incarceration,. A U.S. Department of Justice study found that 18% of felony convictions in
the 75 largest counties were for violent offenses.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2024 10:43AM by mystery2me.
And sentencing in this country is so disproportionate at times, even for the guilty. Look at Brock Turner vs.Martha Stewart. One crime was FAR more violent than the other, but the sentencing was nearly the same.(6months to 5 months). And Turner actually served less of his sentence than Stewart (3mos vs 5mos)
In research, sometimes there is a need for broad-based results. When is the feedback of or via felons needed or appreciated?

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)
@Shop-et-al wrote:

In research, sometimes there is a need for broad-based results. When is the feedback of or via felons needed or appreciated?

I’d say it depends, however I appreciate any and all feedback, no matter the source.

Now you don’t have to act on it, but it should definitely appreciate feedback when it is given.
First let me say, my post is not to debate the different types of felons, if someone convicted deserves a 2nd chance, the perceived personality, charateristics or traits of a felon, if someone deserved a conviction or was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, if society needs to do more to help people land back on their feet again, or if all felons are one size fits all. Hopefully it provides some clarity to the OP's
question.

I think there is some fit in mystery shopping for the felon community. Phone shops come to mind, possibly fast food or simple retail shops. But for example, MSC's who have a focus in the financial industry, in full or part, or anything that entails cash handling, are probably not as open if it is known a person was convicted of fraud, stealing or burglary.

Right or wrong, some companies and MSC's shy away from hiring felons due to the perceived "risk" and "liability". The risk to the brand and of a lawsuit for negligence by a client, customer or worker is perceived too high, should something go astray. For those MSC's who do not ask the felony question up front, some bury the right to dismiss in their agreements should they discover a IC has been charged with a felony. Call it CYA.
I'm going to claim I've never committed a felony. (We don't have this term in Canada)

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer
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