Deanna Said:

How was your mystery shopping experience?

We Answered:

DO NOT deposit that check before you do your research.

Legitimate mystery shopping will NEVER send you a check in advance and NEVER ask you to send money through Western Union. You ALWAYS spend your own money on any shop -- even if it's for a $300 hotel room or $1500 flat screen TV or a $800 flight to Europe, and don't get reimbursed until 30 days AFTER the assignment - after you've turned in your evaluation form and receipt. I have never once received money in advance for any reason, and you don't get paid by check - every company i've worked with pays through Direct Deposit. And the most I've ever been paid on any shop is $25 for an assignment that took 5 hours. You would NEVER make $200 on any Mystery Shop. That's how you know this can't be true

By depositing that check you will be responsible for paying your bank back the entire amount as well as facing arrest if it's counterfeit. http://consumerist.com/2009/07/victim-of…

Your bank has NO way to know if that check if legit or not as they are not the issuing bank - it will take 4-6 weeks for the fraud to be discovered. You need to contact the issuing bank. But even that is no guarantee - scammers will use real company names and bank account numbers, and it's not until the check clears that the real company's accounting department notices that check number is out of sequence and someone stole one of their checkbooks

Just because they are using the name of a real company does not mean they are connected with the real company. Scammers often use real company names while giving you false email addresses and phone numbers that have nothing to do with the real company

Did you try calling the real Mercantile Systems Inc on their listed phone numbe to confirm they actually sent you this check?
http://www.mercsystems.com/contact.php
http://www.mysteryshop.org/searchmspa/me…

Before you do anything, call them as I've never heard of any company sending money upfront or asking you to use Western Union, that's almost always the sign of a counterfeit check money mule scam. Only after you call the number listed on the Mercantile Systems website or the MSPA website and confirmed this is legit and they did send you the check and ask you to wire money through Western Union should you continue

Also check the IP address of the emails you received http://aruljohn.com/info/howtofindipaddr…
If the email originates anywhere but Brentwood, CA then you have more proof that this is not from the real company and someone is falsely using their name

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association even warns about scams using real company names
http://www.mysteryshop.org/news/article_…