{"id":10100,"date":"2022-11-28T22:41:55","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T06:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/blog\/?p=10100"},"modified":"2026-01-21T15:33:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:33:19","slug":"holiday-secret-shopper-scam-phishing-emails-offer-fake-holiday-work-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.socialcatfish.cloud\/scamfish\/holiday-secret-shopper-scam-phishing-emails-offer-fake-holiday-work-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Secret Shopper Scam: Phishing Emails Offer Fake Holiday Work Opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you’re s0meone that needs more money or a college student looking for a part-time gig this holiday season, there are many people that want to take as many job opportunities as they can around the holidays. Therefore, it could be tempting when an email lands in your inbox, stating an irresistible job opportunity with good pay<\/a> that no one can pass up. All you need to do is go shopping and report your experience to get money and the item you purchased that day for free. While there are legit secret shopper jobs out there, scammers know about how this job is popular with many. This is why it is important to know how the holiday secret shopper scam works and how to avoid<\/a> it.<\/p>\n

How Does the Holiday Secret Shopper Scam Work?<\/h2>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Holidays-in-shopping-mall-809919-scaled.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”100%” align=”center” lightbox=”off” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n

Scammers send phishing emails<\/a> to their victims, advertising the job opportunity<\/a> to as many people as they can. Once the victim gets the email<\/a>, they become impressed by what the job has to offer and click on the link to apply. The link directs them to a form where they can fill out their personal information as well as their financial information so that the scammer<\/a> can “pay” them.<\/p>\n

In reality, the scammer is going to steal this information so that they can commit identity theft<\/a> and drain their victims’ bank accounts.<\/a><\/p>\n

There’s also another scam that is involved around the holiday secret shopper scam that involves fake checks. Basically, scammers will send fake checks to their victims<\/a> and ask them to use that money to purchase items for themselves and keep the rest.<\/p>\n

However, the scammer sends more than they claimed they were going to send “by mistake” and asks for that money<\/a> back. The victims give the scammer the amount of money<\/a> requested the keep the rest for themselves. A few weeks later, the bank calls asking for their money back<\/a> since the check was fake. Now, the victims are responsible for the money that they have withdrawn from the bank.<\/a><\/p>\n

How to Avoid the Holiday Secret Shopper Scam<\/h2>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Christmas-shopping-in-milan-359639-scaled.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”100%” align=”center” lightbox=”off” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n