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Scam Notice

Shop Smart with Ipsos

Mystery Shoppers are often targeted for scams, so it's important to be on the look-out.
Learn more about current scam attempts and how you can spot them.

Spotting a scam

Top tips for identifying mystery shopping scams so you can shop smart:

  • Don't pay to be a mystery shopper: Registration for all of the iShopFor Ipsos panels is always free. You may be asked to make a purchase as part of a specific assignment, but the reimbursement amount will always be listed up-front.
  • Never wire money or deposit unknown checks as part of a mystery shopping opportunity: If you don’t know the sender of a check, it’s never a good idea to deposit it. All iShopFor Ipsos US opportunities are paid through PayPal – we will never send you a check unexpectedly. For more information, see Current scams below.
  • Check the recruiter’s email domain: Emails for all iShopFor Ipsos opportunities will come from @ishopforipsos.com or @ipsos.com. If the email domain has a slight variant (@ipsos1.com, etc.), it is probably a scam attempt. If you have received an email offer and aren’t sure if it’s a scam, contact us at mystery.shopping@ipsos.com.
  • iShopFor Ipsos US does not recruit new shoppers via What’s App: Most of our communications are sent via email. You must be registered for one of our panels, or for a mystery shopping association (ex, MSPA), to receive open opportunity emails from us.
  • If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is: iShopFor Ipsos will never send you payment in advance, nor will we send you a large check to cash as part of a mystery shopping opportunity.

Offers from Ipsos Mystery Shopping US will always:

Report, Don’t Respond

If you believe you received a scam attempt: Report, Don’t Respond. Here are the steps you can take to report a scam:

Current scams

Check cashing

We have recently been made aware of a mystery shopping check cashing scam perpetuated by a party claiming to represent Ipsos. The party collects your contact information and will send a check and instructions (with an Ipsos logo) for you to deposit the check and use it to purchase various gift cards which you will mail to a third party. You are also instructed to take your payment from the leftover funds. These checks are generally in excess of $2,000. These checks are fake, and the fraudster is counting on the bank making a portion of the funds available immediately upon deposit. The idea is for you to believe the check has cleared, so you purchase and ship the requested items (in this case, gift cards). Several days later, the check is discovered to be a fake, the fraudster has received the goods, and you are responsible for paying back the bank.

LinkedIn & WhatsApp Recruitment

Scammers are sending recruitment messages via LinkedIn or WhatsApp. LinkedIn messages tend to target small business owners or the self-employed. WhatsApp messages often reference the opening of a new Ipsos location, typically in a non-U.S. locale (especially, in Aruba).

These messages often exhibit the following characteristics:

  • Poor grammar and spelling errors
  • Per diem pay rates (atypical of mystery shopping)
  • Inflated per shop rates ($200+ per shop)
  • Advance payment in the form of a check
  • Request to wire funds or purchase and ship gift cards or expensive electronics
  • Email address is a modification of our Ipsos.com domain (i.e., @Ipsos1.com, @_Ipsos.com, etc.)

If you believe you received a scam attempt from Ipsos Mystery Shopping, contact us

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