Editor's note: Mark Michelson is president/CEO of Michelson & Associates, Inc., an Atlanta marketing research company.

Beware of mystery shopping employment fraud. Recently mystery shopping has become a popular target of scam operators. This past summer we saw numerous advertisements for mystery shoppers to earn incredible income such as $347 a week or $24,000 a year. In addition, there are several books being sold that list marketing research companies and give consumers "advice" on how they can earn a living as a mystery shopper or professional focus group participant. These books and advertising schemes promise much more than what can realistically be earned by the average consumer, and in some cases advertisers are charging people for this information without their knowledge. These fraudulent activities can damage our reputation as an industry and affect everyone's ability to recruit shoppers.

One of the most notorious of these scam operators has advertised in numerous newspapers throughout the country. Because of their widespread advertising, it is no longer possible to place ads for mystery shoppers in many newspapers. These swindlers ran classified ads that asked people to call a local number for information on mystery shopping opportunities. Once people called this number, they were told to call another number using a special international access number to reach area code 809. They were told there would no additional expense other than the cost of a normal long distance call. In fact, calling this number cost unsuspecting consumers at least $30 and as much as $100.
Callers heard a recorded message that lasted over 20 minutes and provided unrealistic information on mystery shopping opportunities and listed the names and addresses of 17 companies that hire mystery shoppers. All but one of these companies were listed without their knowledge or permission.

Obviously, people have a desire for the type of part-time work that mystery shopping offers, and they are very interested in the prospect of being paid to act as mystery shoppers. Recruiting shoppers is an important aspect of mystery shopping, as service providers always need more people to help them complete their evaluations. It is unfortunate that the media now associates these recruiting scams with mystery shopping and the Better Business Bureau has now decided that all mystery shopping is nothing but a scam.

The FTC is taking more positive action by preparing consumer education information regarding mystery shopping. If you have information you would like to provide for this soon-to-be released report please contact Laurie Meehan of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection in Washington, D.C. at 202-326-3755 or fax to 202-326-3395.