« Liar's Roundup - Part Two | Main | Liar's Roundup - Part Four »

August 04, 2009

Everyone loves a mystery. And how can you resist earning $900 a week being a Mystery Shopper?

Easily, I hope.

The lies for this one start, as usual, in the headers...even if you don't dig into the source code. These crooks begin by forging my own address as the From: field:

From: Danny Goodman
Subject: Re: Secret Shopper [$900/week]

Originating from yet another botnetted computer (in Brazil this time), this message talks a pretty good game. It's way too long to repeat here, but it starts out as follows:

-Thank you for your interest in the Mystery Shopper position.
-Our company conducts surveys and evaluates other companies in order to help them achieve their performance goals.
-We offer an integrated suite of business solutions that enables corporations to achieve tangible results in the marketplace.

-We get hired by other companies and act like customers to find out how they are handling their services in relation to their customers.
-Mystery Shopping is the most accurate and reliable tool a business can use to gather information regarding their actual customer service performance at the moment of truth.
-This moment of truth is not when the staff is on their best behavior because the boss is around - it is when they interact with customers during their normal daily routines.

-This is where you, the Mystery Shopper, come in.
-You pose as an ordinary customer and provide feedback of both factual observations (ex...the floor was free of debris)
and your own opinions (ex...I felt that the temperature in the establishment was too cold).

I didn't know I had inquired about a position (because I had not). Despite sounding pretty professional, the message provides no corporate identity. The contact email address is a gibberish user ID at gmail.com.

Except for a gross misspelling near the end, the body of this long message is reasonably well-written. I did, however, have a laugh at the list of:

-Qualities of a good Mystery Shopper:
* Is 21 years of age or older
* Loves to go shopping
* Is fair and objective
* Is ON TIME
* Is very observant and able to focus on details
* Is fairly intelligent
* Has patience
* Is detail oriented
* Is practical
* Types well
* Is trustworthy
* Explains well in writing
* Is discreet
* Loves to learn
* Handles deadlines
* Has full internet access (at home or at work)

How many job ads do you see where they demand that applicants be fairly intelligent?

So, you may ask, what's the scam here?

If you apply, you will magically be accepted. And then you'll have to send money for a starter kit. And that'll be the end of it. You'll get no starter kit. Your money (and perhaps your credit card data) will be gone.

Adios.

So long I met ya.

Catch me if you can....