Double Check
Is the mystery shopper job with a check in the mail a scam?
This is a scam
A typical version of this message
Welcome to your first Secret Shopper assignment! Enclosed is a check for $2,850. Deposit it, keep $400 as your pay, then use the remainder to purchase Walmart gift cards and evaluate the store's customer service. Email photos of the card numbers within 48 hours to complete your evaluation report.
Why it is a fake check scam
Yes — this is a fake check scam wearing a job costume. Banks must make deposited funds available within days, but a forged check can take weeks to bounce. During that gap the money in your account looks real; you spend it on gift cards, send the codes, and when the check finally bounces the bank takes the full amount back from you. No real employer pays in advance and asks you to buy gift cards with it.
What to do
Do not deposit the check — money from a deposited check is not 'yours' until weeks later, no matter what your available balance says. If it was deposited, do not spend a cent and alert your bank now. Report the letter at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Real mystery shopping exists but never pays by advance check.