I am looking for any real info on a company named Mystery Guests Inc.
Here is why I'm asking. I got a priority mail from this company with a check for over $2,000. With the instructions, basically saying. Deposit the check, after it clears, take a set amount to Walmart customer service counter and purchase a money transfer service.
Now my gut is telling me that this is a scam, and I'm looking to other mystery shoppers out there to help me out and give me guidance in what to do. Do I throw it away, cash the check and keep the money, or follow the instructions or notify the police. Please help. Thank you!

It's a scam. Definitely a scam. You can read the comments here [www.mysteryshopforum.com]. Everything said in the thread is true for you and your check, too.

If you cash the check it is initially going to clear your bank and be sent to the bank it was "supposedly" drawn on (fake account), which will be sent back to your bank and then you will be in big trouble for fraud (plus out the amount of money you wired to the scammers). Listen to your gut. Don't throw the check away, take it to the postmaster general (it's mail fraud), law enforcement, or if you DO take it to your bank, speak with the branch manager and allow them to handle it.

Oh by the way, Cindy, real mystery shopping companies don't pay people in advance usually. It takes about a month to six weeks to get paid. Also the jobs average about $10-$30 each depending on complexity. Why would someone pay a stranger for work they had not completed?

Why in the world would you ever think any company would pay you in advance for your work and would pay you hundreds of dollars for an hour or two of work unless you have some type of advanced degree? These scams have not only been going on for more than a dozen years, virtually every news outlet has covered them over and over again. Despite all that, what I find the most shocking is you asking what to do with the check and suggesting it may be okay to cash it and keep the money. That check is fraudulent. Cashing it could very well land you in jail. I hope that helps.

You know, as often as this question is asked by people who join the forum just to ask this question, Cindy, you have been a forum member for a year. How is that possible you don't know this already? We get this question in the forum a few times a month and our answers are always the same. And out of all the people who ask this question, rarely does anyone come back and acknowledge the responses we have given, although some have created new threads asking the same question hoping for a different answer. Cindy, please let us know what happens.

Take it to the bank its drawn on, they will appreciate it. If theyre not in your area, use it to start your bbq briquettes.

Take it to your post office and report it as fraud.

Truthfully, I don't believe I am registered with this company. A while back, I was looking into expanding and looked into some other companies, but I did not complete any applications, that I recall.

I rarely get a chance to sit down and read through all the different articials and I have been away from secret shopping for a while, driving for UBER, and just recently looked into getting back into secret shopping. But have not decided which route to take.

I would love to know who sold these people my name. Because it has to be some company that I have worked for. Or maybe their computer was hacked, that is what bothers me the most.
I knew it had to be a scam, the only thing I wasn't sure of, was this a real company or a made up name.?

I joined this forum about two years ago. Prior, I had not received any spam regarding mystery shopping. Since then, I have received spam surrounding mystery shopping, checks in the mail and phone calls. Actually, I signed up for a mystery shopping new letter from someone at around the same time. That person has a website and a book for sale on Amazon, I can't remember her name. I've since unsubscribed from her email, maybe a couple of months ago and I haven't received any mystery shopping spam since then. Ironic? Maybe.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2017 01:23PM by spicy1.

Spicy, I think you mean coincidence, not ironic, but yeah I don't think so either.

Cindy, not sure how the scammers got your name, but I know there are people who have never even heard of mystery shopping who get emails from these scammers. There was one young man in here a few years ago who was in college and fell for the scam. If I remember correctly, he had joined Linkdin and some sort of college job board network, and he received the check, deposited it, spent some of the money, wired some to the scammers, and then had horrible consequences. Not only was he out the money, but his bank froze his account so he couldn't write checks or do any sort of banking. He joined the forum to ask forum members about it because he previously did not know anything about mystery shopping. He may have been unwittingly a party to fraud, but it's not always easy to convince the bank that someone was gullible to not know that they were passing off a fraudulent check.

I hope you take it to the authorities. Good luck.

Edited to add that sometimes scammers use the names of real companies so that when people google the name they see it is a legitimate business. A tip off is that the scammers will use a gmail or some other type of email account instead of it coming from the business domain (example: john@mysteryguest.com).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2017 01:43PM by JASFLALMT.

Aw, yes, I joined linked at around the same time.
Actually, and Work Market also, around the same time.
I've tried to figure out where these come from also so I can leave that site.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2017 01:59PM by spicy1.

Cindy, the scammers could have gotten your contact info from a variety sources, none of which are related to mystery shopping. Almost everyone was affected by the Equifax breach. Our names and email addresses (and more) are now available for sale by the hackers. We can all expect to get more and more scams in our inboxes. It pays to be skeptical.

Craig's List has also been hacked in the past. So many possible sources!

I remember getting spam/scam emails about mystery shopping at least 15 years ago, so long before actually registering with any company. They were mixed in with the Nigerian princes who want to send me millions and the soldiers who were in Iraq and want my help getting money back to the states.

I have a friend who has never done mystery shopping got a scam/spam email...multiple times.

It's a scam Hun! There is a company called mysteryguestinc not mysteryguestsinc. If you deposit that check, whether it's a scam or not and whether or not you were taken advantage of, you will be held responsible by the bank for any amount, including fees. Follow your heart, toss the check and report them to the FBI. Because they're using the US mail, it's a federal offense.
Good luck!

It's more helpful if you don't toss the check and turn it over to the authorities. Since it is mail fraud, take it to the USPS and give it to the postmaster general.

Why, why, why do people who are seemingly intelligent continue to fall (or almost fall) for these things?! If you didn't ask for it don't take it!

I just got an email today asking if I would assist some orphan in a foreign country with getting her $6.5B inheritance. Yep - jumped right on that.

Naive folks always have false hope that someone will leave them money or a check will fall into their hands with no consequence. Reality seems to evade them, there not jaded (yet). The only way to stop it is to report it to authorities.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2017 04:29PM by Irene_L.A..

I just cant understand it. How can believe even THINK something like this might be for real? Do they honestly think some stranger is going to pay that much money for driving to WalMart and transferring money?