The Better Business Bureau provided the following information:
BBB warns against the following businesses and their ‘mystery shopping’ job offers are all currently F rated, due to concerns BBB has with the industry in which they operate:
LibertyTrade Management Services of Batavia,NY - consumers have reported to the BBB that they have received unsolicited checks and wired money to a foreign location. After wiring the money consumers are alerted from the bank that the checks are not good and the consumers have to repay the bank.
The National Consumer Voice Customer Evaluation of Niagara Falls, NY - consumers were sent a check in the mail. When one consumer tried to cash the check the bank verified the check was fraudulent.
SchnuckSurvey Consumer Research of
Niagara Falls, NY – consumers report this company sent checks in the mail for a Secret Shopping opportunity. The address the company is using is a fraudulent address in New York.
Consumers are also encouraged to avoid the following ten businesses:
- In Touch Mystery Shopper Experts of Warsaw, NY
- Kata Management of Lancaster, NY
- Laredo Marketing Inc. of Niagara Falls, NY
- Logic Marketing Inc. of Lockport, NY
- Mystery Evaluation Research Company of Clifton Park, NY
- Regional Marketing Services of Rochester, NY
- Spectrum Management Inc. of Rochester, NY
- The First Alliance Survey Management Services Inc. of Buffalo, NY
- Vantage Market Research Inc. of Syracuse, NY
- Yak Management Solution of Lancaster, NY
In some cases, businesses receive a lower rating when they do not respond to BBB requests for information about the businesses, or fail to provide sufficient background information on the business. More information about
BBB ratings elements can be found at bbb.org.
To steer clear of get-rich-quick offers, the BBB advises mystery shopper applicants to:- Ignore claims that you will make big profits easily. Mystery shopping will not make you rich; at best it provides part-time income.
- Avoid falling for claims that "guarantee" a position, without training.
- Be cautions of unsolicited e-mails offering "work-from-home."
- Never pay money up-front. A legitimate mystery shopping service will not charge money for materials, training or recruiting.
- Check the business out with the BBB, local consumer protection agency, and state attorney general.
- Visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website at www.mysteryshop.org for information on how to register to be a mystery shopper with a MSPA-member company, a database of available jobs, and additional information on the industry in general.
