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www.consumer.ftc.gov]
There is a real company called Helion, but scammers use the name of real companies frequently to steal money from unsuspecting people. Mystery shopping companies do not send large checks to shoppers and do not pay shoppers in advance for work.
Here is how mystery shopping typically works: you sign up with a company on their website filling out an application and you have a user name or password to log into the website. Some companies have job boards so you can look over the jobs and decide if you want to do any of them. You "apply" for the job, which generally pays between $10-$20 per assignment, and after completing the assignment, you log into the website and electronically fill in your report. After the company has edited and sent the report to their client, it takes a couple of weeks before you get paid. Do not fall for this scam!!!!