Scam!!!! The company may be legit but it sounds like someone is using their name to try and scam you. We are a community of mystery shoppers here and most of us work for 30+ companies...ALL of the companies I do work for only pay 15-30 days AFTER a shop is completed. Think about it: who pays up front to a stranger for work not completed? It is a typical scam, we see someone about once a week come in here and ask this question. For some, it's too late, because they got the check, cashed or deposited at their bank, and then ruined their financial status. Here's what happens: if the bank accepts the check, it is leveraged against your account. The scammers usually send a check of around $2500 and have the unsuspecting target wire them all but 10% or have them buy gift cards and send them to the scammer. After about 10 days, the bank discovers that the check is a fraud and then they seize the victim's account. If there isn't money to cover the amount, the account is overdrawn and of course frozen, and often the victim is also in legal trouble for passing a fraudulent check. Take it to the postmaster general, as it is mail fraud, or turn it over to your bank branch manager (not a teller), or to your local law enforcement.