Fraud Alert

Appen does NOT provide secret shopper or 'customer service evaluator' services. The secret shopper, or mystery shopper, is a technique used by scammers to convince people they are participating in a legitmate evaluation process of a retail location. Appen does NOT provide evaluation of retail locations and we will never solicit evaluators via mail. We are providing this information to help educate you about this fraudulent activity.

Signs of Fraud

• If you have received a letter, often sent Priority Mail via the United States Postal Service, that claims you have been offered an assignment as a customer service evaluator, please be aware that this is not a legitimate offer made by Appen.
• The letter may contain Appen's logo and will be accompanied by a fraudulent cashiers check.
• Appen agents are required to complete a qualification process and legal paperwork
• Appen will NEVER mail you a cashiers check and ask that you deposit it in order to conduct a customer service evaluation.

These communications typically ask you to complete an evaluation at your local Walmart. Be aware, Appen has no business relationship with Walmart. Please see Walmart's page about the mystery shopper scam here: http://corporate.walmart.com/privacy-security/fraud-alerts/

How these scams work

1. The scam artists sends a solicitation or assignment letter pretending to be from an Appen employee describing an assignment to evaluate a retail location. These letters are not from Appen.
2. The letter may be accompanied by a realistic looking cashiers check and details about an evaluation assignment. The check is often in an amount for thousands of dollars.
3. The evaluation assignment is to deposit the check into the consumer's bank account, to conduct a review a retail location using the proceeds from the check and to then wire the remaining balance (minus a 'salary') to a location outside of the United States.

The check is fake and the letter is NOT from Appen. After the check bounces, the consumer is accountable to the bank for the entire check amount. There may also be additional bank fees that apply.

How to protect yourself

• Do not respond to the solicitation asking you conduct customer service evaluation.
• Never deposit a check you receive in the mail from Appen paying in advance for customer service evaluation.
• If you are asked to wire funds via Money Gram, submit a fraud complaint here http://corporate.moneygram.com/compliance/fraud-prevention/report-fraud

If you were a victim of fraud via the Internet, please file a report with your local law enforcement agency and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICCC). The ICCC is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. You can make a report with the ICCC here https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

Additional Resources

Mystery Shopper Scams
FTC Money Transfer Scams Video
Secret Shopper / Mystery Shopper Scams: A Job That Only Pays the Scammer!
Money Gram Payment Services Consumer Protection Information
Mystery/Secret Shopper Schemes Alert