The "eMysteryShopper Market Research" unsolicited email message below, which claims the recipients can earn extra money by becoming an online mystery shopper or shop-evaluator, is just one of the many phishing email messages sent by cybercriminals or online scammers to trick their potential victims into sending them their personal information. Therefore, recipients of unsolicited email messages like the one below, which ask for personal information, are asked to delete them and not follow the instructions in them.
A Sample of an "eMysteryShopper Market Research" Scam
Subject: PART-TIME JOB APPLICATION (MARKET RESEARCH SERVICES)
Hello,
eMysteryShopper is a global market research firm. Our company provides full-service custom market research services, on-demand intelligence answering services and global research media. The company expanded its operations in USA and further expanded into the whole of North America.
Mystery shopping is an independent, pre-determined evaluation of a customer’s experience with frontline staff, facilities, products and services. It gives detailed insight into what customers are experiencing, how competitors are reacting, and what is really happening on the front lines of any business. It quickly highlights areas of strength and weakness at every level of an organisation
Would you like to shop and make extra income? Here is a Job for you.. Mystery Shopper has brought you the opportunity to work from home, work or anywhere you are and make $350 weekly.
It is with a great deal of professional pride and personal pleasure that I am able to introduce to you this amazing opening.
Apply now by sending in your resume or Information as stated below.
PLEASE FILL YOUR INFORMATION BELOW
Full Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Phone Number:
DOB:
Occupation:
Just about 3 hours is required in a week.
Best Regards,
Sandra Bishop
Admin
Hiring Manager
Office:240-900-5925
eMysteryShopper Inc
mysteryshopperusaltd@gmail.com
Scammers steal personal information from potential victims using bogus emails like the one above. Once they are in possession of their potential victims' personal information, the scammers will contact them and attempt to scam them or sell their information to other scammers.
Victims of these scams usually blame their banks, utility companies, ISPs or even the government, claiming they sold their information to the highest bidder, when in fact they were the ones who unknowingly gave the scammers their information when they fell for their phishing scams.
This is why online users are asked to be careful of messages which ask for personal information, especially the ones that promise quick money with little or no work. Scammers use the promise of quick money and get rich schemes to help lure potential victims into their traps.
Many of the mystery shopping scams that we have come across usually send potential victims fraudulent checks (cheque) and ask them to deposit them. The scammers will then ask the potential victims to take their share of the money from the fraudulent checks and send the balance to them. But, the checks will bounce and the potential victims will be responsible for paying the cost for processing the checks and paying back the money they have sent to the scammers; they may even get arrested.
Persons who have received the same checks are asked not to deposit them and report them to the police, and those who have already done so are asked to contact their banks immediately and let them know that they may have been a victim of the online mystery shopper scam.