The BBB is issuing a red alert about a Minnesota company trying to lure job seekers with phony promises of mystery shopping and lucrative salaries. In addition, the company is capitalizing on the name of a similar, legitimate company and falsely claiming to be “listed with the Better Business Bureau.”
CotterWeb Market Research Inc (sic) apparently is tweaking the name of Cotterweb Enterprises, Inc., located in Mendota Heights, MN, because that company has an A+ rating with the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota.
The fraudulent company sends unsolicited letters, accompanied by a check, congratulating the recipient on being selected as a mystery shopper. The letter gives instructions on how to complete the first shopping assignment, including shopping at retail stores and then “evaluating” Western Union by wiring a significant portion of the enclosed check to an address provided by the company.
The scam is sweetened by the promise that the shopper can keep all merchandise purchased as part of the assignment.
The letter sent by CotterWeb Market Research is almost identical to a letter for mystery shopping employment sent by Uni tech Staffing Inc (sic), a company allegedly located in West Monroe, LA.
Although there are firms that employ people as mystery shoppers, this is not how legitimate mystery shopping firms operate. Consumers who receive any solicitation offering employment as mystery shoppers are advised to be wary, especially if a check is enclosed prior to any services being performed.
To avoid falling for mystery shopping scams, consumers should:
• Always be extremely leery of checks you receive out of the blue
• Check the company out at www.bbb.org
• Remember that legitimate job offers do not require payments upfront, nor do (or should) they require you to wire money to a third party