Wow, talk about a fresh start — a new week, a new year, even a new decade. Over the weekend, I read a poll taken by the stationery company, Franklin Covey, which said that the top three new year’s resolutions this year are: 1) Get out of debt/save money, 2) lose weight, and 3) exercise more.

I’m guessing these three top the list every year, although many bloggers and op-ed writers have been pointing out that finances displaced weight loss this year as the biggest resolution.

Are you resolving to save money and/or get out of debt? Even if you have a full-time job, a great way to increase your savings is by increasing your income (especially if you have already cut back your daily expenses, like so many Americans did in 2009). If you are looking for a part-time job to earn a bit of extra cash, let me suggest mystery shopping.

I’ve written about the topic a number of times here on the blog, and a recent JobMonkey newsletter also focused on becoming a mystery shopper. (Have you signed up for our free newsletter? You can do so here.) Well, today I want to get super practical with you and give you some tried-and-true tips to avoid getting mystery shopping scammed.

Have realistic expectations for salary

Most mystery shopping jobs pay between $5-$15. I know, that’s not a lot of money, but keep in mind there is usually an in-kind reimbursement as well. If you are mystery shopping at a restaurant, your meal (and that of a friend) is covered. At a supermarket, you get a budget for purchasing groceries. When planned strategically, you can probably use your in-kind reimbursement to reduce your fixed monthly expenses — from gift-giving to grocery shopping to eating out and other entertainment categories.

Also, know that the time involved in each shopping assignment is not excessive. In most instances you won’t spend more than 30 minutes shopping (or dining, or filling up gas, etc.) and another 20-30 minutes completing your report online or in writing.

Once you know what to expect in terms of salary, you can hopefully avoid one of the most obvious scam traps: The lure of an excessively high salary. Internet ads promising “hundreds of dollars” in payment have scam written all over them. Don’t bother clicking on them (unless you want a bunch of spyware downloaded onto your computer!).

Have realistic expectations for assignments

In theory, marketing companies use mystery shoppers for all types of assignments — from your basic fast food gig to flying the friendly skies. Realistically, however, 99 out of 100 gigs the average self-employed mystery shopping is going to land are every-day, local assignments. In other words, don’t fall for promises of first-class air travel and five star luxury resort vacations. Yes, those assignments do exist in the mystery shopping world, but no, you won’t be landing them from your Internet search for gigs. Rather, expect assignments at the following type of establishments:

• fast food restaurants
• local and national banks and savings & loans
• casual dining (think: Bennigans, TGIFridays)
• some higher-end restaurants (especially if they are national chains, such as the Cheesecake Factory)
• beauty supply stores
• clothing retailers
• pet stores
• movie theatres
• bowling alleys
• gas stations
• motels and hotels
• conference centers

Never, ever pay to mystery shop

The #1 scam for mystery shopping (and all work-from-home jobs) is pay-to-work. Don’t fall for it. Legitimate mystery shopping job sites do not require payment to join their service. Anyone who tells you otherwise is more than likely a scammer. Even if they aren’t scamming you, remember that there are dozens of legitimate operations that don’t charge. So why would you pay for the one that does?

Don’t know where to find legitimate mystery shopping opportunities? Here are ten trustworthy websites to check out:

1. A Closer Look
2. A Top Shop
3. Best Mark
4. Beyond Hello
5. Confero Inc.
6. Count on Us
7. Customer 1st
8. Graymark Security Group
9. IntelliShop

There are hundreds of legit companies out there — these are only ten of them. For an extensive list, check out Volition.com. You can also come visit JobMonkey’s new Mystery Shopping job board, with tons of national (and a few international) assignments.

Get a designated email

This may not help you avoid getting scammed, but it will stop your email inbox from being spammed. Just go to google or yahoo and sign up for a new email address, which you use exclusively when signing up for any of the above mystery shopping services.

Have you ever mystery shopped? Tell us about your experiences!

We mentioned this in a previous post on mystery shopping, but it’s worth mentioning again. We have just launched a mystery shopper job board where you can search for current job announcements. Use the Keyword Search box to find everything…simply type in terms such as “Mystery Shopping” and “Market Research” to locate opportunities.

Mystery shopping providers typically hire people on a contract basis, with many workers using the opportunities to earn supplemental income. In our Mystery Shopping section you’ll learn all about the industry, find out how to spot scams, and get the overall scoop.

Las Vegas Action News ran a story yesterday about the extraordinary lengths some people will go to in this tight economic climate to make some extra money.

There are folks selling their plasma and others selling their hair. And then there are those who are trying to save money by spending it.

The story quotes a representative from the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, who says that you can make anywhere from $5 to over $100 per assignment. And did you know that in Nevada, you must have a license to mystery shop? Yup, you need a private investigator’s license, plus you have to write up detailed reports of all your trips. (Although, I assume a legit employer would require the written reports in any case.) Of course, warnings abound about being aware of potential mystery shopping scams, like the one I told you about last week.

If you want to earn some pocket money, check out JobMonkey’s industry-specific mystery shopping job board, where you can search for current jobs in this industry as well as market research positions.

I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but given the constant wire stories about it, it seems the mystery shopper scam is still alive and well.

I guess when the economy is down and people are eager to make a quick buck, scam artists like these can find easy prey.

Here’s the deal with the scam: A supposed mystery shopping marketing firm in Texas sends you a check in the mail for several thousand dollars. They ask you to deposit the check and use the cash to evaluate the service of a hotel, restaurant or store in your area. Then you’re supposed to wire the rest of the money back to the marketing firm — along with your report.

The problem is: The check is fake! So not only are you out the bounced check fee, you also now owe your bank how ever much you withdrew in cash for your bogus mystery shopping assignment.

If you get a check from an unknown source in the mail, DO NOT CASH IT. Got that? Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about legitimate mystery shopping operations, check out JobMonkey’s section on becoming a mystery shopper.

Every Thursday, the JobMonkey blog answers your burning questions about your job search. So far, we have covered how to negotiate a salary offer, how to write a cover letter for a nursing job, and how to find a summer job at Disney World. Do you have a question about your job search? Send me an email or leave me a note in the comment section.

Dear JobMonkey,

I am a Stay at Home mom looking to earn some extra money, while still staying at home with my kids. I need to find something that I can do during nap times or at night, once my kids are in bed. I have looked at some Work at Home sites, but truthfully, they all seem like a scam to me. Most of them ask for money in order to even give you a list of jobs. I did that once, but the leads were pathetic. Can you point me in the right direction? I would be happy with a few hundred dollars a month in “pocket cash” at this point.

Thanks,
Cheryl in Wisconsin

Dear Cheryl,

Thanks for your letter. You have perfect timing, it would seem, because I just read a great article on AOL with a list of seven legit work from home gigs that are hiring now.

The list includes staffers for a virtual call center, virtual assistant, pro-blogger, mystery shopper, website designer, transcriptionist and on-line English teacher.

Many of these jobs are discussed in detail in JobMonkey’s section on Work at Home jobs. Have you checked it out yet? If not, let me give you a brief run-down:

>> Mystery Shopping is a market research tool used by companies large and small. As a mystery shopper, you pose as a normal customer at stores, restaurants, banks, hotels, casinos, etc. Your job is to perform a variety of assigned tasks — from purchasing products and ordering services to filing a complaint — and then report back to the company on your experience.

>> Data entry and transcription jobs are ideal for people who type quickly and have a computer already set up at home (with high-speed Internet). The job is fairly easy and does not require specific career experience or educational background. It can quickly become tedious, though, as it demands hours of rather monotonous work.

>> Freelance writing, editing and professional blogging is a hot field, thanks in large part to the Internet.  A growing number of companies are jumping on the blogging bandwagon. They want writers to post to their company blog several times a week about new products and other related news. Blogging rates vary widely, so be sure to have a frank discussion about salary before you jump in with both feet. For more info on freelance writing, check out this recent JobMonkey blog post on how to break into the field.

As far as potential scams go, you are right to be concerned. My top three suggestions for avoiding the work at home scam artists?

1.    Don’t ever pay to get paid.
2.    Beware of exaggerated salary claims. (No, you probably won’t be earning six figures from data entry… not even if you do it 80 hours a week)
3.    Avoid ads that ask you to sign up for a service before they tell you more about the job.

A few more Work at Home resources:

>> You may want to check out articles about new mystery shopping scams. The common denominator of scams seems to be their request for money. With this latest one, the scammers have gotten a tad more sophisticated — they send you a check and then ask you to wire the balance back to them. Of course, the check is a fake, and once your bank realizes it, you will be out the value of your wire transfer plus a whole mess of fees. So definitely keep exercising your common sense when you approach Work at Home opportunities.

>> A few weeks ago, we got a letter from a reader in a similar spot to you. She is a full-time mom, looking for a part-time job from home. You might find some of my suggestions to her helpful as well.

We’re starting a new tradition here at the JobMonkey. Every Thursday, I’ll be answering a question from our growing stacks of emails from our readers. If you have a question about your job search, please send me an email so I can answer it in an upcoming post. This week we have a great question about part-time work-at-home opportunities.  Even if you’re not a full-time, stay-at-home mom, working from home can be a great way to find long-term professional fulfillment — or just to cover the gaps of an extended lay-off.

Dear JobMonkey,

I am a full-time stay-at-home mom to three little kids under the age of 5. Next year, my oldest will be in kindergarten half days and I am thinking about starting to look for a part-time job that I can do from home. In all honesty, I’m also motivated by the fact that my husband works in a very insecure industry (finance, ugh!) — so I think we may soon need some added income. I started looking in my local paper for some leads, but they all seem like a bunch of scams. What kind of legitimate opportunities are out there for someone in my situation?

Thank you,
SAHMommy

Dear SAHMommy,

Thanks for your question. I have a feeling that you speak for a lot of our readers. This terribly shaky economy is definitely encouraging/forcing a lot of stay-at-home-parents to consider returning to the workforce.

You mentioned the Work-at-Home scams and boy, are you right! You have to be very careful these days. If anyone offers to give you job but requires that you pay them a commission first, run — don’t walk — in the other direction. As added protection from the less transparent scams, you might want to think about opening a new email account (get a free one from gmail or hotmail) for all your job applications.

As for where to find legitimate work-from-home opportunities, here are some suggestions:

Contact past employers — Did you work outside of the home before you decided to stay at home with your kids? If so, do you still have a good relationship with your past employers? Give them a call. They might be interested in sub-contracting to someone for a few hours a week. Or they might know of someone else who is.

Consider consulting — Depending on what you did for a living before you decided to stay at home, you may be able to outsource your services as a consultant. Not sure you worked in a outsource-able profession? Here are some suggestions: Marketing, advertising, graphic design, information technology, computer programming and accounting. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Freelance — Like consulting, freelancing lets you utilize your professional skills, but with clients of your choosing, on a schedule of your choosing. You will need to invest some initial capital on marketing and perhaps relevant equipment, but going with a skill you already have should keep your overhead down. By the way, if you think you might want to become a freelance writer, be sure to check out a post I wrote on Monday about how to break into the writing industry. And read JobMonkey’s article on where to find writing, editing and blogging jobs.

Become a mompreneur — A growing number of stay-at-home moms are opening home-based businesses. They are selling goods they make at home, like cloth diapers, diaper bags and embroidered kids’ aprons. If you don’t already have a skill or hobby that lends itself well to online sales, don’t spend a lot of time learning one now. But if you are already making all your kids’ clothes, you might well have a highly marketable product on your hands. (You might also be able to make some money as a freelance seamstress!)

Do data entry, medical transcription, etc. — If none of the above options appeals or applies to you, there are still non-scammy options out there.  JobMonkey’s Work at Home section is chock-full of ideas for people like you who want to work at home. Be sure to read the articles on data entry jobs and mystery shopping. These gigs may not be high paying, but they will put some cash in your pocket and give you some time to decide if working from home is the right choice for your familiy.

I hope these suggestions have been helpful, SAHMommy. I know, personally, how difficult it can be to balance full time motherhood with a part-time (or more) job. The rewards are worth it, though. Hang in there and good luck to you in your search!

ANNOUNCEMENT: JobMonkey.com just launched a brand new job category: mystery shopping

Have you ever felt like you spent your whole weekend running from one store to the next, catching up on grocery shopping, drug store stock-ups and department store sales?

If so, I’ve been you’ve wistfully thought to yourself: "Ha, if only I could get paid for all this shopping, I’d be rich!"  Well, believe it or not, there are people out there making a career out of shopping, and getting paid handsomely for it!

Mystery Shoppers are a part of a company’s overall marketing team; they help the company evaluate its products and, more importantly, its customer service and merchandising.  Some mystery shoppers focus on retail, others on the tourism industry (how’d you like to get paid to book five-star vacations to the French Mediterranean?!), and still others in dining and hospitality.

Take a quick look at our new mystery shopping job board for current listings. Try using the keyword search option with terms such as ‘mystery shopping,’ ‘secret shopping,’ and ‘market research.’

JobMonkey can help you get ready for a career as a mystery shopper with its articles about topics like who hires mystery shoppers, what does mystery shopping entail, and how much does mystery shopping pay? Plus, keep checking in back here for more in-depth posts and spotlights on this fun (and fulfilling) career.