Research Design Specialists

This company claims to offer an employment opportunity as a mystery shopper. Interested participants are told they will be assigned to evaluate a variety their customer experiences with selected businesses, generating vital information necessary to quickly and effectively spot areas of superior performance and areas in need of special consideration by retail and service establishments. In this company's case, respondents are sent a mail delivery containing a check for an undisclosed large amount of money. Participants are instructed to deposit the check in their bank account, keep 6% as payment for their services, and use the remaining cash to purchase a money gram to be sent to a pre-disclosed recipient. The company then asks the mystery shopper to evaluate their experience with the Money Gram personnel. After several days, the "mystery shopper" is notified by their financial institution that the check is counterfeit, and the shopper is held libel by their bank for the entire amount. Amounts may vary, but generally are between $1600 and $2500.

We urge caution. While some marketing research companies do hire individuals as mystery shoppers, this company is not one of them. Based on our investigation, this company is not actually offering a legitimate opportunity to work as mystery shopper, instead they are recruiting individuals to unknowingly act as "Money Mules." Money Mule scams may vary, but generally work like this. Fraudulent perpetrators contact prospective victims with "job vacancy" ads via spam emails, letters, newspaper job ads, Internet chat rooms or job search web sites. Jobs are usually advertised as a "financial manager, US representative", "money transfer agent," "financial manager" or "mystery shopper." They offer you the chance to earn some easy money for a few hours work each week, usually just requiring that you have access to the Internet, a bank account, and suggest that no special knowledge is required. They then convince the victim to come and work for their fake "company". Some fraudsters even ask mules to sign official-looking contracts of employment. Once recruited, money mules will receive funds into their accounts. These funds will have been stolen by the fraudulent company from another account that has been compromised. Mules are then asked to take these funds out of their account and to forward them to a designated contact (minus a commission payment) typically using a wire transfer service. Acting as a mule is an illegal activity. When caught, money mules often have their bank accounts suspended, containing *all* of their money.

Although the prospect of making some easy money may appear attractive, any "commission" payments will be recovered as they are the proceeds of fraud and you may become embroiled in a police investigation. Remember that you will be the easiest part of the chain to track down and supplying any information to the perpetrators may also put you at risk from identity fraud. If you see an opportunity to make some easy money and the offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is! Remember that even if you have nothing to do with the actual extraction of funds from another person's account, by allowing your account to be used to receive and transfer such funds, you will be acting illegally.

Be cautious about any unsolicited offers or opportunities offering you the chance to make some easy money. Be especially wary of offers from people or companies overseas as is harder for you to find out if they really are who they say they are. Take steps to verify any company which makes you a job offer and check their contact details (address, phone number, email address and web site) are correct and whether they are registered in the