A Mystery Shop Was Snatched Out From Under My Keyboard!

This is wierd--I have never had this happen before. I had just gotten an email saying that some new mystery shops were available in my area. A lot of mystery shops are released at the beginning of the month. I clicked on the link to learn more about this particular shop, and I couldn't have spent more than a couple of minutes pondering whether I should take it or not. I clicked to go backwards on the link, and the shop was already taken. Right from under my nose! I have never had something like that happen so quicklyl. Probably for the best, as it required me to spend some money (of course I would be reimbursed). But with studying for the bar and all, I really shouldn't take too many shops. But this particularly company is one of the fast-paying companies, which made me consider it for that couple of minutes.

I Could Have Been Taken By A Mystery Shopping Scam!

I have been doing mystery shopping for several months ago and was aware that there was some kind of check cashing scam going on. It is sort of similar to the Nigeria scam but on a smaller scale. A friend forwarded me an email, and I actually applied. Nothing about it seemed wierd. But when I got "accepted" as a mystery shopper, I got a reply back saying they wanted me to do a Wal-mart and a Western Union shop. Something about Western Union rang a bell in my head. I googled mystery shop scams and sure enough--there are scams out there involving Wal-mart and Western Union. I wrote back and told him to cancel my application. I wish I hadn't done that though. I would love to turn him in. I read comments from others on the internet who had been taken by this same scheme for about $3,500 or so. Whew! Glad I figured it out. This is the email reply I got, just in case someone else gets this too:

Hello XXX,
You have been Accepted as our Mystery shopper/Survey Agent.
You will be evaluating a Wal-Mart Store and a Western union outlet in your neighborhood. You will need to locate the Nearest Wal-mart and Western union store as soon as you get this email today. Email us the STORE NAME AND STORE ADDRESS in your next email. That is where you will be doing your 1st Secret shopping and Evaluation.
Please remember that you are to act Cool, Calm and Confident through out the period in which you will be carrying out the survey, in order not to arouse any suspicious. We will furnish you with transfer details which you will send Funds to via Western union. Also you will be shopping at Wal-mart stores close by, after which you will write a report and send back to us via Email using the following pointers:
1) How long it took you to get services.2) Ambiance/Outlook of the Shop/Outlet3) Smartness of the attendant4) Customer service professionalism5) Reaction of personnel under pressure6) Information that you think would be helpful7) Your comments and impressions.
Payments will be mailed out to you as soon as you reply back to this email,which you will cash and expend in carrying out all that will be required of you including your compensation.

Online Coupon Sites

I stumbled onto this article today that mentions some good online coupon sites: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/5-favorite-sites-for-online-coupons.aspx.

I was glad to find it as I tried to find online coupons the other day for Target and didn't get very far. I wanted to find online coupons I could use in the store but had no luck. I finally called my local store, and they told me they didn't accept online coupons.

But I am glad to find these sources as I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet, and I know I will be buying some things online. Every bit helps!

Mystery Shopping Has Made The Difference For My Budget

I read an article online not long ago about how many people just need to earn an extra $100 or $200 a month to make it through the month. That that little amount of money can make the difference between meeting your budget and going further into the hole. Well, I have been doing mystery shopping for three months now, and I just added up the checks I have received thus far. Total: a little over $600, or $200 a month. That has made the difference for me. It has plugged up some of the holes between paychecks and helped me not overdraft. It has been a godsend actually. I can't wait until after the bar exam, when I can go whole hog on it again.

Target Was Like A Ghosttown Tonight

I went to Target tonight to pick up a few things after work, and it was like a ghosttown. Usually, this Target at that time of night is humming. It was almost scary. I bought a slipcover for my sofa and felt like a spendthrift. Everyone else just had food and essentials in their carts.

Maxed Out: The Film

I joined Netflix for the free two-week trial period, and the first movie I watched is Maxed Out. Its prescience in the debt and credit sphere is unbelievable. The movie was made in 2006 and totally foreshadows the mortgage and credit meltdown we are experiencing today. The most memorable moment from the movie is when it is mentioned (to no one's surprise) that the banks make money from those with bad credit and the subprime products. No wonder they kept pushing the products. The saddest moments are when you realize two college students killed themselves because they didn't see anyway to get out of their debt, and an older mother went missing, presumably also a suicide victim for the same reason. So sad. Makes you want to hold them and say, "It is not worth that." Good movie.

Another Tweak To Mystery Shopping

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday about another tweak I am making to my mystery shopping gig: I am not going to take any shops where I have to shell out money first. Unless---they are very interesting or well paying, and they hit me at the right time of the month. The problem is for those kind of shops, you may have to buy a product or a service. In some cases, you return the product and the store gives your money back. That is usually not such a problem because you normally get the credits back in a few days. But the other kind of shop is where you have to pay for something and you get reimbursed by the mystery shopping company. In this type of scenario, it can be 30 days before you are reimbursed. And that can play havoc with a checking account as tight as mine.