In 2023, PayPal mystery shopper scams are still a popular way for scammers to target unsuspecting victims. The premise is simple – scammers pay their victims via PayPal to become mystery shoppers and then keep the money without delivering the services they promised.
One common scam is the “secret shopper” job. Scammers send out emails or text messages claiming to represent a legitimate company, offering a job as a “secret shopper”. The victim is then asked to purchase a certain item and send it to a specific address. The scammer promises to reimburse the victim for the purchase, and then provides a PayPal link for payment.
The scammer then sends an email which appears to be from PayPal, with a confirmation of the payment. But the payment never arrives and the victim has no way of getting the money back. Other variations of the scam involve asking the victim to cash a check sent by the “mystery shopper” employer, or filling out surveys in exchange for payment.
To avoid such scams, it is important to be wary of unsolicited emails and text messages that seem too good to be true. It is also important to research the company before accepting any offer and to never send money upfront using PayPal or any other payment service.
