Mystery shopping, emphasis on "mystery"

In a real world follow-up to this post on job search scams, a job seeker reported today that he has received two money orders (totalling $1500) from a mystery shopping job offer he replied to on craigslist.

Though he was suspicious of the checks' legitimacy, he had a small hope that it was a real opportunity. The job seeker gave me copies of the emails, and it appears to be a check-cashing scheme operating under the cover of mystery shopping. It was even being done under the name of a legitimate mystery/secret shopping company. The instructions were to cash the money orders, spend some of the money on shopping assignments, keep $150 per assignment, and wire the remainder back to an individual in another state while emailing scanned copies of the receipts and a report on the shopping assignment.

Suspicious elements that I pointed out to the job seeker:
1. He had never been interviewed or screened for the job. His only communication with the company was his email response via craigslist. Legitimate companies don't send $1500 to a stranger.
2. Reputable mystery shopper organizations frequently offer reimbursements on expenses as opposed to paying those costs upfront.
3. The "employer" was doing business through a free gmail account.
4. The company address was in Washington state, but instructions were to wire money to an individual in North Carolina
4. There was unusual pressure being applied as the "employer" stressed that the assignment needed to be completed within 24 hours.
5. The "employer" was asking for funds to be transferred to a name other than his own.

Basic safeguards I warn job seekers of:
1. Stay away from offers that charge a fee.
2. Stay away from offers that involve transferring money.

The prevalence of scams in the current job market is an opportunity for a onestop workshop topic: protecting oneself from identity theft and employment scams during a job search. Jobseekers who are new to the internet need to know what information should not be divulged and how to spot legitimate recruiters.

Mystery shopping resources:
Federal Trade Commission mystery shopping page
National Shopping Services Network (includes a section for scam alerts)