Mystery shopper scams hitting hard during holidays, consumer experts warn

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The ABC7 I-Team investigated online mystery shopper schemes that target people who need extra cash for the holidays. The I-Team first reported on these scams in August, but consumer protection experts say it's growing at an alarming rate.

The Illinois attorney general and the Better Business Bureau say that they are getting daily complaints about the mystery shopper scheme and it is hitting hard during the holidays. People who need extra cash for gifts are falling for it, including college students and seniors.

It may sound outrageous, but if it didn't work, the scheme wouldn't exist. Emails and website pop ups ask you to be a secret or mystery shopper.

"They tell you you can make $1,400 on one job," said Judy Green, who called the I-Team. "Especially when you are a senior citizen and you are living on social security limited income, those things are very tempting."

Green, who lives in south suburban Orland Hills, says she and her husband received an offer. The website even says it is "BBB accredited" but the BBB tells us it's not.

They ended up accepting the offer and received a $2,000 check along with a letter of instructions.

"I instantly got paranoid," Green said.

He was told to deposit the check in his account, then withdraw $1,500. His mystery shopper assignment was to evaluate Walmart as he was putting that $1,500 on a prepaid green dot card. He was supposed to email the green dot card numbers to the mystery shopper contact.

"You are to carefully scratch the cards and send the pin numbers along with the evaluation," Green said.

Luckily for Green and her husband, he waited first to see if the check cleared.

"Within three days of his depositing the check it bounced. Within three days," Green said.

In August, the I-Team told you about a Lake Zurich woman who almost fell for the same scheme after responding to a pop -up ad. A legitimate mystery shopper agency in Chicago told us all agencies should be accredited by the Mystery Shoppers Providers Association, and that no assignment would ever involve prepaid cards or sending funds by Western Union.

"I think everybody is always looking for a little extra something. And there is never enough at Christmas never enough money to do this or do that," Green said.

Banking experts say you should only cash checks form trusted sources. If you are suspicious about anything, wait until it clears before taking out cash.

You can be held liable by your bank or - at worst - even face criminal charges yourself. The Illinois attorney general says any job offer that comes to a consumer out of the blue should be viewed with great suspicion.

More mystery shopper offer tips from the Illinois attorney general:

-Any job offer that comes to a consumer out of the blue should be viewed with great suspicion.

-Consumers should be wary of any job offer where their only contact with the so-called employer is via email.

-Any job offer (whether it is mystery shopping or ANYTHING) where the consumer is required to do any transactions using Green Dot Money cards, Western Union and/or Money Gram should be declined.

-If a consumer receives a check in the mail from an unknown party or from a so-called employer, do not endorse or deposit it. If a consumer deposits a counterfeit check - that act alone can result in criminal charges (at the worst) and actions by their banking

institution to have the funds returned (in the least), like closing accounts, collection actions, threats of lawsuits, etc.