Mystery Shopping SCAMMER EXPOSED | Don't Fall For This Mystery Shop Fraud

Summary

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Frugal Friends Podcast

Episode: Mystery Shopping SCAMMER EXPOSED | Don't Fall For This Mystery Shop Fraud
Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Release Date: September 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode takes a deep dive into the world of “make money online” scams by analyzing a viral case study—TikTok influencer Kayla Sansom (Kayla Laughs Out Loud) and her alleged mystery shopping coaching scam. Jen and Jill break down how deception and manipulation are woven into the pitch, what real mystery shopping looks like, and how to spot red flags when someone tries to sell you access to “insider information.” Drawing on their personal experience as mystery shoppers, the hosts provide practical, free advice for anyone interested in this side hustle—while empowering listeners to avoid manipulation, FOMO, and unnecessary spending on sketchy courses.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Anatomy of a Viral Scam ([01:34]–[03:43])

• Who is Kayla Sansom?
  Kayla, with over 300,000 followers on TikTok, claims to be a professional mystery shopper and sells a $97/month course promising to teach followers how to make money mystery shopping.
• Trigger Event:
  She posted a video of a “mystery shop” at Chicken Salad Chick, berating employees, later claiming she got the manager fired. The restaurant responded—they don’t hire mystery shoppers, contradicting Kayla’s claims.
• Red Flags:
  Internet sleuths discovered Kayla has a history of fraud, shoplifting, and selling counterfeit goods.

Quote:
“...Chicken Salad Chick actually posted a response...they don’t hire mystery shoppers...they didn’t let anybody go for bad service as it relates to a mystery shop.”
— Jen, [02:53]

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2. Disclaimers & Intentions ([03:43]–[06:20])

• The purpose isn’t to “drag Kaela’s character,” but to examine how scams are structured, using her content as a template for spotting danger signs in similar “side hustle” pitches.
• Jen and Jill have real experience: “Between the two of us, at least 50 mystery shops ourselves.” ([04:07])
• Emphasis on critiquing information, not individuals.

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3. What is Mystery Shopping, Really? ([07:29]–[09:39])

• Proper Definition:
  Mystery shoppers are legitimately hired by companies, via vetted platforms, to evaluate customer service, cleanliness, and more.
• Kayla’s explanation of what mystery shoppers do is mostly accurate: the 80% truth that hooks people in.

Quote:
“You are evaluating the customer experience and your job is to give details that you would not find in a Google review.”
— Jen, [09:13]

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4. The Manipulation Playbook—Dissecting the Sales Tactics ([09:39]–[13:00])

• Building (Fake) Authority:
  Kayla claims 15 years of experience, but there’s no formal ranking system or awards for mystery shoppers; she never references legitimate industry certifications (e.g., MSPA Gold Certification).
• Vagueness & Paywall:
  Her videos “never give real value...completely shrouded behind a paywall.”
  — Jill, [12:23]
• Fear & Pain Point Amplification:
  She warns of “danger,” saying it’s not safe to mystery shop without her course, using fear to sell.

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5. Refuting the Myths—How to Actually Get Started ([13:00]–[15:30])

• There ARE legitimate resources:
  • The Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (MSPA) is the central hub for finding real gigs, and it’s free to access.
  • Reddit’s Mystery Shopping community is packed with experienced advice.
• Don’t Pay for Beginner Forums:
  The info in Kayla’s group is easily accessible elsewhere, often with more seasoned pros.

Quote:
“If you Google ‘mystery shopping,’ the first thing is the Reddit for mystery shopping, and that place is a gold mine. Like, you don’t need to pay for her community.”
— Jen, [14:02]

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6. Exposing Manipulative Tactics in Scam Courses ([17:53]–[22:00])

• Blaming the Victim:
  “When you fail, it’s your fault.” Kayla positions herself as the only safe/legit route—typical manipulation to shift blame.
• Exclusivity:
  Claims to have a proprietary list “that took years to assemble,” which is unrealistic since companies and opportunities change constantly.
• Inflated Earnings Examples:
  Promotes outlier cases (e.g., $6,000/month earners) as “proof” to anchor listeners’ expectations.

Quote:
“She is positioning it as if you are going to go on your own, you fail.”
— Jen, [19:23]

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7. The Truth About Money in Mystery Shopping ([24:37]–[26:15])

• Low Profit Margins:
  $97/month for a course will eat through the small earnings most novice shoppers make. Food shops, for example, might net $5–$15 above reimbursement.
• Occasional Big Payouts:
  Car dealerships, gym inquiries, banks may pay more, but these gigs are rare and can’t be repeated frequently.

Quote:
“You’re not making a ton of money per shop. It’s more so a fun way to be able to watch a movie for free or get a free dinner.”
— Jill, [24:48]

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8. Legit Companies & How to Actually Succeed ([25:42]–[34:43])

• Recommended Companies:
  BestMark, Coyle Hospitality, Confero—real, vettable platforms.
• What It’s Really Like:
  • Reports are highly detailed; you must follow instructions to the letter.
  • Time management is critical—you’ll need to photograph, write detailed accounts, and keep organized.
  • Payment is slow and requires you to front your own money.

Quote:
“There are people that will get these hotel shops and they pay for your travel...like the whole trip is work, but it’s also paid and it’s kind of fun. But it’s also work.”
— Jen, [34:44]

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9. How to Spot Make Money Online Scams ([35:06]–[39:39])

• Key Red Flags:
  • Fear-based messaging (“You can’t do this without me”)
  • Information locked behind paywalls
  • Inflating their own importance or exclusivity of information
  • Blaming users for lack of results
  • Vague explanations, little to no practical sample content
• Healthy Alternatives:
  • Use free, reputable sources (MSPA, Reddit)
  • Only pay for education from people with transparent reviews, credentials, and clear sample material

Quote:
“So this type of language is what should raise your suspicions about whether or not this is actually going to get you from point A to point B.”
— Jill, [35:29]

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10. The Value of Trusted Communities and Self-Education ([37:48]–[39:39])

• Reddit Over Google:
  “Reddit is your friend. You know what? Google’s out. Reddit’s in. Well, Reddit is Google.”
  — Jill & Jen, [38:01–38:06]
• Firsthand Info Trumps Affiliate Pitches:
  The most trustworthy info comes from non-incentivized practitioners.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We do not critique people. We critique information…This story is an unfortunate example about how influencers who want to scam people can do it using information, 80% of which is true and verifiable, and then 20% of it is lies.” — Jen, [06:22]
• “...follow them to a T. But then get to the point where I now understand this, I can make my own tweaks.” — Jill explaining ‘Shuhari,’ [36:16]
• “Here’s your permission to just go and do it and not pay somebody to teach you how.” — Jill, [31:22]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Section | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|------------| | Exposing the Scammer’s Viral TikTok | 01:34–03:43| | Defining Mystery Shopping | 07:29–09:39| | Dissection of Sales Manipulation Techniques| 09:39–13:00| | Real Ways to Start Mystery Shopping | 13:00–15:30| | Critique of Course—Red Flags Highlighted | 17:53–22:00| | Real Earning Potential & Company Recs | 24:37–26:15| | What Actual Mystery Shops Entail | 31:22–34:43| | Scam Red Flags in “Make Money Online” | 35:06–39:39| | Community Tips & Resources | 37:48–39:39|

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Practical Takeaways

• You do NOT need to pay someone for a mystery shopping “master list” or basic training—just use MSPA, Reddit, or official company sites.
• Beware platforms/influencers overpromising earnings and exaggerating their credentials.
• Courses that only provide general information, with no sample content up front, are likely hiding a lack of substance.
• Community information from experienced practitioners is transparent, honest, and available without a monthly fee.

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Additional Resources Mentioned

• MSPA – Mystery Shopping Professionals Association
• Reddit r/mysteryshoppers
• Legitimate companies: BestMark, Coyle Hospitality, Confero

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Closing Thoughts

Jen and Jill use humor and real-world examples to empower listeners: Stay skeptical, educate yourself using reputable (often FREE) resources, and trust your ability to learn without a pricey “coach.” If something uses fear and exclusivity tactics, pause—odds are, what they’re selling, you don’t need.

Final Encouragement:
“If specifically mystery shopping is of interest to you, here’s your permission to just go and do it and not pay somebody to teach you how.”
— Jill, [31:22]

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Transcript

[Jill]

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[Jill]

And live a richer life.

[Jen]

Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill. Welcome Frugal Friends. My name is Jen. My name is Jill and make money Scams are some of the most prevalent scams on social media across the Internet and this one is just the latest to go viral.

[Jill]

We're going to be using this example we're about to give you as the template for how scams across social media can happen. This one just gives a lot of really good examples.

[Jen]

Yes, and so we are talking today about Kayla Sansom, known on TikTok as Kayla laughs out loud. She has over 300,000 followers and is a self proclaimed mystery shopping and mystery mystery shopper and mystery shopping coach who sells a course on how to make money mystery shopping for $97 a month.

[Jill]

That's right. It's a subscription you got to pay for.

[Jen]

In August she posted a video of a mystery shop that went viral. She went to Chicken Salad Chick and she berated them for the service. Later posted a video saying that she kind of got the Manager fired. And this all came out when Chicken Salad, this all went viral. And then Chicken Salad Chick actually posted a response. You can go and see it on their TikTok. It said they don't hire mystery shoppers. They don't know who she was working for. They didn't. And they didn't let anybody go for bad service as it relates to a mystery shop. So. So as a result of this virality, Kayla was not just exposed for maybe not being truthful on her Instagram account or her TikTok account, but also the sleuths of the Internet found that she has passed charges on fraud, shoplifting and selling counterfeit goods.

[Jill]

Yeah, so we're not going to be, we're not here. The purpose of this episode is not to drag Kaela's character through the mud, but it does provide a lot of really good examples for the things to be looking out for. So that when we are pursuing some of these fun side hustles or we are choosing to pay an influencer a monthly amount of money for some version of service. Yeah. Then we know some of the things that are red flags, some of the things that are green flags. And Jen and I, Jen's done a lot of mystery shopping. So have I. Between the two of us, at least 50 mystery shops ourselves. So being able to speak specifically from that perspective and then also giving you some tips if, if mystery shopping is specifically something you've been interested in. I know my mother in law, Linda always talks about how she'd love to be a mystery shopper. Then we'll also give you free tips on how you can do that and it's not that hard. But first, this episode is brought to you by having the answers. Listen, it's okay to not know everything. Not everybody knows about everything. It's normal. But dang, is it a good feeling when you do have the answers, Especially when math is involved, but also when the answer involved is food. Like what am I going to feed myself tonight? For most of us, figuring out food after a long day is really the literal last minute thing we want to do. But guess what? We just made it a lot easier with our handy dandy meal planner. It's our best tip for how to save money on one of the most expensive things that we spend money on monthly. That's food. And now you can have our beautiful planner full of templates, recipes, low ingredient and low effort meal ideas so that you can have the answers. Get our meal Planner Frugal Friends podcast.com meal planner.

[Jen]

Did she mention there's a thousand.

[Jill]

I didn't even say that. No, I didn't even let you know. You know what that means? That's 1000 answers is what this meal plan is. It means you have the answer for 1,000 nights.

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jill]

That is more than one year.

[Jen]

You're done.

[Jill]

That's more than three years worth answers.

[Jen]

1,000 is more than 365.

[Jill]

One purchase will get you 1,000 answers over the course of three plus years. And then you can just recycle it. Yeah, and that's a lot of numbers. So not only do you have the answers on math, you also have the answers on food.

[Jen]

Because we do. Because we do that. That's what we do. All right, so I want to reiterate again, on this podcast, we do not critique people. We critique information. Oh. Information is relayed to us through people. So we just think that this story is an unfortunate example about how influencers who want to scam people can do it using information, 80% of which is true and verifiable, and then 20% of it is lies. Sometimes just half truths, but then also sometimes just blatant lies. And so, again, we're not going to drag Kayla's character through the mud. There are plenty of other, you know, commentary YouTube channels that do deep dives on people and their pasts. We are doing a deep dive on how a case study of scamming on the Internet. So first, what is mystery shopping? And Kayla actually does a really good job of explaining what. What Mystery shopping.

[Jill]

So here's the 80% truth.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Kayla Sansom]

Hello, everyone. Good afternoon. It's kind of nasty out today, but I wanted to take the time in the middle of my mystery shopping day and come on here and introduce myself. I realize I have a lot of new followers. I have a lot of people not understanding what I do for a living, and I would love to take a chance to break it down. So I have been a mystery shopper for 15 years. I am a professional mystery shopper. Companies hire me to go in their locations all over and evaluate their customer service, their products, the cleanliness of their stores. I mean, so many things in between that as well. I have. I have mystery shopped fast food like McDonald's, all the way up to very fine dining where plates are like $200 plus. I mystery shop hotels, resorts, casinos, high end retail like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany, all the way down to Pandora and. And stores like Claire's. Okay, So I do all kinds of mystery shops.

[Jen]

And so she is accurate in that description. You can find mystery Shops across everything. Like when I was doing it, I, I did, you know, most of those. I also did banks. You can do like new construction. You can sit in on like a sales pitch for a new construction home. And, and that can be a mystery shop. There are like car dealerships doing a test drive. I've done that. I actually have a very funny story about a car dealership test drive shop. I did. I'll, I'll get to that later. But, but yes. So that's what it is. You are a, you are evaluating the customer experience and your job is to give details that you would not find in a Google review. And that's very important because if they just wanted a simple short answer, they have thousands of Google reviews to look from. So your sole purpose is to be giving information that wouldn't necessarily be in a Google or Yelp review.

[Jill]

So to tease apart what's true and what's false. And using this as an example, Kayla is using some really common sense sales and marketing techniques in order to gain trust with her viewers and subscribers and then eventually make sales. And you can see almost all of them in a singular video, a 14.

[Jen]

Minute video that we cut down.

[Jill]

One of the ways that she's, you know, trying to make a good amount of her money is by convincing you that you need her help in order to be able to be a mystery shopper yourself. So it is kind of an education in some sales manipulation. And we do see so much of this in, in the wellness space.

[Jen]

Not just in, like make money online, but across. Anytime anybody's trying to sell you something. So the, in the wellness space, the self help space, all kinds of places.

[Jill]

Okay, so here's, here's the cut down version of the video and then we'll.

[Jen]

We'Ll dissect, we'll, we'll dissect each part as it happens because I think that'll be easier to like break it down. Cool. So here is the first one.

[Kayla Sansom]

So I have taken the time this afternoon to write out 16 questions that I'm constantly getting about my mystery shopping program. And I am going to answer them all on this video. I signed up. That's how I got going. I loved it so much. I asked for more information. They gave me a couple more companies that they worked with, you know, but they didn't give me many. And I had to go out myself and discover what companies were legitimate because there are so many scams out there and they are very good at looking legitimate because mystery shopping companies, real ones, do not advertise. Especially the higher end ones that actually pay, you know, not just give you a little crumbs like these apps that y' all keep asking me about.

[Jen]

Yeah. She goes on to say like, apps are crap. And she's not wrong on that. The apps are, are not. Those are more like survey things. And there are a ton of mystery shopping companies.

[Jill]

The thing that stands out to me in what we've heard so far is just how vague it is. You know, she's saying she's answering a question, but it's, I signed up with them.

[Jen]

I cut out part of that.

[Jill]

The first part of the reason, the.

[Jen]

First part of that was she was answering what mystery shopping is. So I guess I could have used that clip for the first one.

[Jill]

Uh huh.

[Jen]

But actually I just love the fact that the first video, like she was driving and you could see that she's driving if you're watching on YouTube. Like, and I was just, I was like, people need to see.

[Jill]

Okay, well, whether or not she put context to it, I have seen others be this level, level of vague where they're not giving any value or any like real reason to latch onto to believe that you actually are going to bring me the value that I'm looking for. Like completely shrouded behind a paywall. To me, that always raises a red flag. Like you're, you're never giving any sort of substance.

[Jen]

Yeah. And we'll talk about this a little later. But she positions herself just like she did in the first video. She's been doing this for 15 years. She's a highly rated, you know, I don't know if she's just like maybe award winning or something. She, she really puts herself up there. But in reality there are no rating systems for mystery shoppers. There are no awards. You can get a gold certification from the Mystery Shopping Professional association, but she does not mention that at all. So yeah, people will try to build credibility, but unless you do your own research, which they won't, you can pay them, but they're not going to do that research for you. You have to research them and their credentials on your own regardless. And so if you can do that, you can probably get all the information as well on your own. But so you wouldn't you just assume because she's saying these things that she has all these sort of like, you know, all this stuff, but what she's saying doesn't actually exist. The things. There are things that do exist, like certification, and she doesn't mention those at all. What she does position this whole mystery shopping experience as is. It's dangerous to do this without me. So this is pain point amplification. We are, we're scared to try new things, especially things that have been associated with scams. There are definitely mystery shopping scams out there and nobody wants to get scammed. And so she positions herself as someone who understands and has the solution. When in reality, because there are so many scams, there is this mystery shopping professional association that all legitimate mystery shopping companies go through and must be a part of. And that is very easy to find and sign up for free online. And honestly, if you Google mystery shopping, you get, I mean the first thing is the Reddit for mystery shopping and that place is a gold mine. Like you don't need to pay for her community. This is of like a community of newbies. When you have this community of seasoned mystery shoppers on Reddit and there are full time mystery shoppers, there are people who do this full time. They're not going to one city because you can exhaust a city pretty quickly. It's a lot of the same mystery shops and you can't do the same ones maybe a certain period once for every six months. Right. So these people are going out to like I, I saw one of them travels between four different states.

[Jill]

Whoa.

[Jen]

For, for to do his mystery shop. So yeah, it's, it's positioning that it is dangerous to do this without me. This is where a lot of nutrition influencers like it is dangerous to eat these foods, only eat the foods that are in my meal plan that you can buy sort of thing. Here's a shocking stat. Nearly half of American adults say they'd face financial hardship within six months if they lost their primary income earner. This is a big deal and it highlights the importance of having life insurance.

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[Kayla Sansom]

Apps are crap. Remember that apps are not real mystery shopping companies. They're survey things. That's all they are. And that's why y' all whine and cry to me and say, well, I.

[Jen]

Was a mystery shopper for a year.

[Kayla Sansom]

And I didn't make nothing because you weren't working for a real mystery shopping company. So that answers that. It took me, gosh, many, many, many years to develop the list of all the legitimate mystery shopping companies and merchandising companies.

[Jen]

So in this one, she goes in and is kind of reinforcing that. Other people have failed and it's their fault. So when you fail, it's your fault. That's another tactic. Influencers and scammer. I won't say influencers. I'll say scammers will use that. They, you know, had. They could have used me, but they didn't and you went on your own and it's your fault that you failed. In reality, the apps are, I think, scams in and of themselves. So it's not, it's not people's fault that they sign up for these apps thinking that they're going to get like mystery shops and surveys and stuff because they're advertised as a way to make money. And then you're making, you know, you never get approved for any surveys and if you do, you make 25%. Like I think those in and of themselves are Scams. But she's not positioning it that way. She is positioning it as if you are going to go on your own. You, you fail.

[Jill]

And her being the one who has the corner on the information, like the gatekeeper of the real truth, she's kind of the only one that you can go to to get legitimacy in this type of side hustle. And you have to pay her the $97 a month in order to have that. Nobody owns all the information. And we, it's more so finding the people who are going to teach us in the way that we need to be taught, who have the information that we are looking for, but also recognizing that there are ways to get the information ourselves. Just sometimes we want to pay for the convenience of somebo else has done the work for us. So. So teach me. I mean, we ourselves have a course that we sell, but we don't believe that we're the only ones who can teach you about personal finance. If you like our style, you like the way that we explain things to you, then this is going to be great for you. But otherwise. So that's kind of how we can tease apart who's worth investing in and is actually going to give me what I'm looking for and who is just wanting me to kind of stay trapped so I can line their wallets.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Kayla Sansom]

Again, mystery shopping companies do not advertise. If you are, if you are lucky and you find a legitimate company on your own, you are going to have a very hard time navigating their website, getting mystery shopping jobs, getting them completed correctly. I cannot tell you how many messages and emails I get from people telling me how sorry they are because they went out by themselves and either got scammed or they found a legitimate company. I even have a screenshot at the end of this video telling me that even when they found a legitimate company, they didn't know what they were doing and they were well over their head and they didn't get paid, they didn't get reimbursed and they lost all that time because they didn't know what they were doing.

[Jen]

Yeah, this one. Okay, so this is where our like, experience with mystery shopping can make us uniquely qualified to talk about this. But this is a lot of fear mongering.

[Jill]

Oh my word. That quote about you're on your own, you, you're going to have a hard time navigating websites, finding jobs and completing shops correctly without my program. Just this. The fear of failure, the, the fear of, you know, you, you're not competent enough to do this. Without me hand.

[Jen]

Yeah. So in reality it is. So here's where the half truths are. A lot of mystery shopping companies aren't advertising or marketing in the normal way that make money. Companies kind of are advertising. That's usually how the scams are advertising. But they all are a part of the mystery shopping professional association. It is free to sign up for that. And so most of them, if they don't, you can request it will actually give you a sample filled out report that you have to, that you would have to, to do. So yeah, it's the, all of the resources are there. Once you find the job you can go in. So here's, here's how it goes. And then also like there's so many companies and also they all specialize in different things, either different areas of the country or different like specialties. Go into the MSPA and then you can go. There's two different places you can go. We'll link to it in the description. We'll link to the directory which is their service provider search. You can see all the companies but you won't really be able to see if they're in your area or what, what shops they're doing. So you can also go to the opportunity board and there you can see opportunities but you can't see all of the different companies. So you kind of have to navigate through. So that's why it's like a half truth. If somebody had a list of all of the plate, there's no way you could, there's no way you could do what she's offering. Like it would be, they change companies that they work with too much. It would have to be specialized to every part of the country. Like you could create a list or. But, but the list is right here on the mspa. So that's the only thing she could give. So you would have to do your own research and sign up for a bunch of companies, see what's going on in your area, what you want to be a part of, stuff like that. And so your time is better spent doing that than doing whatever she has in her course because you would still have to do that on top of.

[Jill]

It'S still work to go through a course. And then it's money.

[Jen]

Right.

[Jill]

And if you're just doing this occasionally $97 is really going to blow through whatever profits you're making. You're not making a ton of money per shop. It's more so a fun way to be able to watch a movie for free or get a free dinner. But the amount you're getting paid for that is, you know, after they cover the cost of the food is like 5 to 15.

[Jen]

Yeah. So there are some shops that pay more. So like I said, the banking, gym membership inquiries, car dealership, test drives, those pay pretty well. Like, you can make 50 bucks doing one of those. You're not going to get them often. You can't keep going back to the same car dealership every weekend and making 50 bucks every weekend. You just can't do that. You're going to exhaust. You can do that maybe once every six months. And that's why you would have to travel to multiple states in order to get a bunch of shops like that, because you can't be known. They have to not recognize you. So that's a very important part of.

[Jill]

Mystery shopping is it has to be mysterious.

[Jen]

Right, Right. So here are a couple companies I have worked with that I like. Bestmark, Coil and Conferral. These have shops that I really like because I usually do it just for food. And I went out and looked and there are like, they're still, you know, going strong. I haven't done a mystery shop in a long time, but they're still going strong.

[Jill]

So, yeah, I used Coil and I did it for food as well.

[Jen]

So again, yeah, it was a nice.

[Jill]

Way to get a dinner out. I mean, specifically, you've got to keep in mind that it's going to take a while to actually receive your payment. And you do front the money for these things first. Then you get your reimbursement plus your payment. So there are things to be aware of with it, but it's all discoverable on your own.

[Jen]

Right. And if you're on YouTube, we'll post some screenshots from actual jobs that I just found last week from going to these websites because I still have my login and they still work. So I went in and I just looked for some jobs. And look, you can see that you can. There's a button to click on the job post. That is one, like, look at sample report. So, yeah, go and sign up for the jobs. And because I'll. I'll say one before we move on to the last video. She's also trying to create this, like, pseudo intimacy and like, have this parasocial relationship with people. That's every influencer. Every influencer profits from creating a parasocial relationship with their followers. That's just across the board, whether they're scammers or just regular, like really great influencers all thrive on these.

[Jill]

I mean, we see you all as our frugal friends.

[Jen]

Right.

[Jill]

And that's authentic.

[Jen]

Yeah, that's real. That's not parasocial at all.

[Jill]

I mean, it might be, but that doesn't mean that it's all bad. You know, feeling connected and experiencing trust.

[Jen]

That'S not what's bad. But she is then using that. She's kind of transferring that on her community and her course. To say that you can essentially, like, buying this course isn't just buying the information, but you're also buying a community of people who know what they're doing and even though they're also beginners, but this welcoming, knowledgeable community. So, yeah. All right, let's move on to our last example for this particular scam.

[Kayla Sansom]

Now, my members that live in big cities, like, I have a young man that lives in Orlando, Florida. He makes more money than I do. His first week with me, barely knowing anything, he made $900 in Orlando, Florida. And that was back in April 2024. And now we just spoke. Our last time speaking one on one was in late November. And for the month of October, October, he made over $6,000. So he made more than me. I average about 4,000amonth.

[Jill]

Which. That's very. That's a very honest. You know that like, okay, she's only pulling 4,000amonth doing this. I can appreciate that honesty. It's not a ton, right. Of money to. To be claiming to be an expert in this, but, yeah, it's crazy to use such. Such an outlier example as if this could be you, when in reality, no, what's going to be you is making $5 on a dinner shop.

[Jen]

Yeah. So this is an example of. Of a scammer using extreme outliers. And everybody uses social proof. You don't have to be a scammer to use social proof and testimonials. But where it gets dangerous is you're using these extreme outliers. And everybody wants to use their best social proof. But she's using, you know, this success story to anchor your bias. It's an anchoring bias. So you're gonna listen to this and you're gonna be like, okay, well, I'm not in Orlando, so I can't make 9,000. And. But. Or maybe I won't even make 4,000, but I can make a thousand. So you're anchoring your idea of what's possible based on the numbers that she is throwing out. And the higher the number, the more you think you're gonna be able to make, which for most people is not feasible.

[Jill]

And Then it's a never ending pattern because then when you don't hit that number because it's been made to be viewed as very possible, you become disheartened in it and then you find that this influencer is telling you well, you're doing something wrong and she'll just keep.

[Jen]

Paying once it's your fault. If you're not doing it right.

[Jill]

You're just on this little merry go round of insecurity and fear mongering and concern that if I leave I'm going to be doing even worse with unrealistic expectations. And the whole thing is we could.

[Jen]

Be doing the same exact thing on MLM like techniques. Let us know in the comments if you want a video on mlms because.

[Jill]

If you want us to get canceled.

[Jen]

Dying, I. Oh no, I am dying to make one. I am. I would love to. Yeah, you have a specific MLM or you just want to hear MLMS in general?

[Jill]

We talk about it a lot off air. So yeah, as well bring it to the people.

[Jen]

We love it.

[Jill]

Okay, so if mystery, if specifically mystery shopping is of interest to you, here's your permission to just go and do it and not pay somebody to teach you how. And here's from our experience, some of the do's and don'ts, you would have to be pretty organized. So this is for somebody who can stick to dotting your eyes, crossing your T's. You're going to want a timer on your phone, you're going to want to take screenshots.

[Jen]

Kayla's not wrong in saying that these reports are very specific. You have to be very specific.

[Jill]

They want to know how long it took you from sitting down to somebody, to the waiter coming over to ordering and the food coming out. And they want pictures of the bathroom and pictures of the food. And you can't start eating before you took a picture of the food. And you have to order specific things and so there's a lot of moving pieces and, and that could lead someone to feel nervous about like I don't want to be revealed because then you lose the shop if they understand that you are a mystery shopper. The thing is, you can be on your phone. Most people are on their phones. We don't have to be nervous about that. But you have to have a pretty solid understanding of what the, what the store is looking for from you off the bat so that you can go in and do the, do the shop confidently. So there's some prep work. There's the carrying it out and then on the back end it can take 30 to 45 minutes to draft the report that they're looking for. If you've ever even just done surveys, they want, you know, at least three sentences of feedback, at least a paragraph of this. You can't just say it was good. You've got to give very specific examples with a specific amount of words, otherwise you're not going to get paid for it.

[Jen]

And what I found, the secret to it is, is if it was a question above the narrative, they want a sentence per question within the narrative. So that's a very easy way where you're like, I have no idea what to write. You just go down the question list for that category and give an explainer sentence that explains each of your like yes, no clicked answers. So that's really what. And you can always, even if they don't offer a filled out survey for you to review, you can always request one. They want you to do this correctly because they need mystery shoppers for this stuff and they exhaust mystery shoppers. You can only do a lot of these once every six months, sometimes once every 30 days or three months if you're lucky. But there's a lot that you can't do within six or nine months. So they need mystery shoppers and they want you to succeed and to be eligible for more shops and for better shops. There's a lot of shops actually that they don't advertise on the websites that they, you know, invite people once they have a established and this is, I found for Coil especially with their, they do some hotel shops and it's, it's hard to get those. You have to, I asked and they're like, you have to establish yourself with all these other shops in order to like get picked for.

[Jill]

That's the most amount of ranking system that is experience.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

And yeah, having a good reputation.

[Jen]

Yeah. But there, there are people that will get these hotel shops and they pay for your travel. So they'll go to another state, do a hotel shop and do other mystery shops while they're out of town. So like the whole trip is work, but it's also like paid and it's kind of fun. But it's also work. It's definitely work.

[Jill]

It is. Yeah. It's not work.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

And again, as a recap, because not just with mystery shopping but any kind of make money online scam, the things to be aware of is the fear mongering, the, the making you believe that this person is the only one with the answers. They have the information, it's all hidden behind a paywall and that you cannot do it without them. So this type of language is what should raise your suspicions about whether or not this is actually going to get you from point A to point B.

[Jen]

And it won't be obvious like what we saw with Kayla. It's not that she's being mean, she is positioning herself. All of those things that she, like we're going over are true. And she's positioning herself that she's helping you. She understands, she wants you to succeed. So it's all over this lens of encouragement. Everything out there is bad, everything in here is good. And I just want you to succeed. And that is the telltale of a scam.

[Jill]

It's interesting because we do talk about this concept called shadow shuhari, and it's follow the rules, break the rules, transcend the rules. And so we are really all about, you know, if you're trying to learn something and a new skill, you name it, that you want to find one person who can just kind of clear the clutter, simplify it, follow them to a T. But then get to the point where I now understand this, I can make my own tweaks to this. And then you get to the point where it really has been fully embraced and you are able to really do it on your own. You're not just breaking the rules, you're making it your own. And so in that regard, we are not opposed to paying people to help us figure this thing out. There are others who have more experience than us who have put in some of the time that can make it a little bit more efficient for us. But I do think it's worth still weighing out, is this something I really need a good guide and a mentor for? Or is there enough collective wisdom on the Internet that I can kind of just understand how this thing is done? Sometimes we need guides, but not always. And I think that's one of the biggest things to be able to tease apart before we hand over our bank account information to somebody and we saddle ourselves with a monthly subscription or even a one time cost, depending on what it is. Like, we don't want to hemorrhage money just because we think we need a guide for everything. Sometimes there's just the information that we need if we can refine our research skills a little bit.

[Jen]

And for this especially, I think Reddit is really helpful. The Reddit mystery shopping subreddit has been around for a long time. Lots of helpful people in there.

[Jill]

Reddit is your friend. You know what? Google's out. Reddit's in well, Reddit is Google.

[Jen]

So when we Google mystery shopping or even on Chat GPT we can get some of the same same answers over and over regurgitated on blogs. And ChatGPT is just taking those blogs and also just regurgitating them faster. That's what we love about Chat GPT is that I don't have to go through 10 articles to find that they're all the same. ChatGPT tells me that, you know, for me faster. So really having first hand accounts from people who aren't financially incentivized. But there are referral links too. Like these mystery shopping companies give all their mystery shopping shoppers referral links and they get kickbacks if somebody signs up and completes a job. You know who signed up on their link. So Kayla could easily be doing that and making a lot of money. She has over 300,000 followers but has chosen this other route because it is more profitable. So yeah, if you have any great mystery shopping resources, we'd love to hear about them in the comments. Let's, let's make this comment section like a really good resource for mystery shopping. Like whatever you've got. Lay it on us in the comments. And anybody who might be thinking about taking Kayla's course or have heard about her, maybe they don't need to because of all the wealth of information that our parasocial relationships have provided us in the comments.

[Jill]

Speaking of parasocial social relationships that are providing so much resource to us, so.

[Jen]

Much value from my parasocial relationships. That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William.

[Jill]

Maybe you paid off your mortgage.

[Jen]

Maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck Bills, Buffalo Bills, Bill Clinton. This is the Bill of the Week. Hi Jen and Jill, this is Amber. I was calling in with my multiple bills of the week. Since I only have 90 seconds I will try to keep it short and sweet. My husband of 10 years and I separated in September due to some substance abuse issues which caused some a lot of financial strain. I'm the mother of three children and honestly we had years of getting a paycheck and it going completely negative before the even the next paycheck cycle finished. And so I was determined though I.

[Jill]

Was in a dark place.

[Jen]

I started listening to your podcast in September and just knew that I could start doing small things to turn it around. So my bills of the week are everything was paid for the past two weeks and I have not gone into the negative. I realize that there can be, you know, some fallbacks in this journey, but the fact that that happened, this is accomplished, is doable, has given me so much hope. And I just thank you for being on this journey with me through the ups and downs. Thank you so much and have a great day.

[Jill]

Wow, Amber, this is so heartfelt. I'm like a little bit tearing up because this to be a part of somebody's real life experience like this, to know that something so difficult is happening and yet information like this can set a different trajectory and that it's providing hope and a pathway forward like it's not lost on us. And I'm so sorry to hear about the experiences that you've had. Substance use, use disorder, addiction, things that people choose in the midst of some of these mental health struggles can really lead to very non beneficial consequences and really negatively impact family. And we are just cheering you on for plowing a different pathway forward in the midst of that and glad to be a help and a support to you in this way.

[Jen]

We are celebrating each win. Each win is a huge accomplishment when you're starting over. And we are so excited for you, Amber. Yeah.

[Jill]

Well done. Two weeks of paid bills and not.

[Jen]

Going into the negative.

[Jill]

Just hope for the future. Again, cheering you on. Well done.

[Jen]

Cheering on your kids, your kiddos.

[Jill]

Yeah. You are showing them something really, really positive.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Well, Donnie, Amber, if you all are listening, if you have a very vulnerable bill or a bill about being able to pay your bills, or you also just want to try to make us cry. Frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill, we can't wait to hear it. When it comes to clothing, you know we love quality over quantity. And since getting our colors done, Jen and I have both been on a mission to find closet staples, the kind that are polished, timeless and affordable without compromising quality.

[Jen]

And that's exactly why we're loving Quince. They've got all the elevated essentials for fall. Think 100% Mongolian cashmere, starting at just $50. Washable silk tops and perfectly tailored denim. I just ordered their cotton scoop neck, tank, earrings and a belt, and I'm already living in these pieces daily.

[Jill]

I've been on the hunt for a classic linen dress that I can style in a variety of ways that fits with my minimalist wardrobe. And Quince had just the one I wanted in the European linen scoop neck midi dress. It feels like such a luxury piece, but the prices don't absolutely destroy my spending plan.

[Jen]

Keep it classic and cozy. This Fall with long lasting staples from quince go to quince.comfrugal for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N C E.comfrugal to get free shipping and 365 day returns quince.comfroogle. huge savings on Dell AI PCs are here and it's a big deal. Why? Because Dell AI PCs with Intel Core Ultra processors are newly designed to help you do more faster.

[Jill]

And when we say more, we mean it. These PCs can generate code, edit images, multitask without lag, draft emails, summarize documents, even create live translations.

[Jen]

It's like having a personal assistant built right into your computer. Plus, Dell AI PCs can even extend your battery life. So no more panic when you realize you left your charger at home. That's the power of Dell AI with intel inside, helping you focus on what matters most.

[Jill]

And the best part? The deals. Right now you can snag a Dell AI PC like the Dell 16 plus, starting at just $749.99. So if you've been waiting for the perfect time to upgrade your tech and take back your time, this is it. Head to Dell.comdealsToday that's Dell.com deals and now it's time for the lighting round.

[Jen]

What's the sneakiest way an influencer has convinced you to spend?

[Jill]

Ooh, this one. I did talk about this one already, but whatever, I get to talk about it again because it's my show. I bought dermaplaning razors last Christmas that I still haven't used and I couldn't return them because I waited too long till it was outside the return window to realize that I wasn't going to use them. And here's how they got me. I didn't buy the ones that they were talking about. I just saw this reel of an influencer talking about their simple, low maintenance skincare routine and that got me. Cause I'm like, yeah, I'm not someone who over consumes and buys a bunch of stuff and has a super complicated way of caring for herself. Like I'm. I want simple. I want low maintenance. I want the tips.

[Jen]

I want simple and low maintenance.

[Jill]

I want the tips for like what? What actually can move the needle without a lot of effort.

[Jen]

What can I buy to make me simple, low maintenance? Yeah.

[Jill]

Or doing like the Botox. And like some of the things that I personally view as a little bit more extreme costs a little more money. And this was something that I had never tried before. I'm like, oh, maybe that's the key. Maybe that's the thing I'm missing out on is I need to get rid of my peach pie.

[Jen]

I didn't know I was missing out on anything until you told me I was it.

[Jill]

Yep. But they got me with the wording. I need to spend money to keep my routine simple and low maintenance. And that's on me. Yeah, I made that mistake.

[Jen]

It happens to all of us. Yeah.

[Jill]

What about you?

[Jen]

So for me, it's watching food bloggers make all their stuff. And so it's kind of like this haul mentality. They have all these ingredients. They don't expect you to buy all of them, but just one thing, potentially from their affiliate link. And I'll. I'll do it sometimes, like a specialty ingredient that I think I can use. They. And they don't even. Honestly, they don't even need you to buy anything that's in their video. As long as you click their Amazon affiliate link, they will get a kickback on anything you purchase on Amazon or for the next 24 hours, as long as you don't click on anybody else's affiliate link. Because then it resets for that influencer.

[Jill]

I didn't know that.

[Jen]

It's us too. So if you're ever buying anything on Amazon and we don't really post Amazon affiliate link, but our book, because we.

[Jill]

Don'T really want you buying on Amazon.

[Jen]

Our book is always an Amazon affiliate link. So if you click on buy what you love book.com, the link to our book on Amazon, that's an affiliate link. So you don't even have to buy the book. But if you don't click on anybody else's affiliate link for the next 24 hours, anything you buy on Amazon, we will get a teeny, tiny little itty bitty commission on. That's crazy. Yeah. And that works for every influencer. So they just want you to, like, click on it to, like, see if you want to buy it. And then you don't even have to choose to buy it or not.

[Jill]

If you want more tips on how to be smarter with your money, we did a recent episode about the awful money habits that will keep you broke. What to choose instead. That's a good one.

[Jen]

And then also we'll have those other. We have a couple other scam episodes that we've recently done. We try to do a scam episode, you know, two or three times a year just to keep you abreast to what's going on in. In. You know, because financial scams get more and more complex and nuanced and honestly just good. Everything smart. They are smart. Like give give props where they're due. But we don't want you to fall for them.

[Jill]

You know what I love to stay abreast on is our kind reviews about our book. Buy what you love without going broke.com like this 5 star review from Brianna Mafis. Finally an actual meaningful finance book. Not about manifesting money or just never spending ever. I feel like I actually got something stuff out of this book.

[Jen]

Whoa.

[Jill]

That simple. And a low maintenance book review that I love to read.

[Jen]

Yeah. For our simple low maintenance book. If you want your finances to be simple and low maintenance, go to buy what you love book.com where you can get links to buy the book. And you definitely can't find instructions on how to request it at your library.

[Jill]

It's the only book you ever need to have. You're never going to be able to get better with your money if you don't buy our book. Have you learned anything? I'm doing all the tactics.

[Jen]

There are actually instructions on how to request at your library if you don't already have it available at your library.

[Jill]

We actually do want to have it.

[Jen]

20% was. That was the lie. See ya.

[Jill]

Bye.

[Jen]

Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.

[Jill]

Okay, Jen.

[Jen]

Wow.

[Jill]

Should we. Should we try to be scammers? Like we know so much about it that it's easy. Little flip of the switch.

[Jen]

I've tried so, so hard over the years to be a scammer. And I cannot take enough showers in the day.

[Jill]

To wash off the creep.

[Jen]

To wash off that creep. Yeah. I can barely shower. I don't shower every day. I'll be honest. Maybe we could talk about that.

[Jill]

Wow. But you are like exercising and running most days.

[Jen]

Not most days. Three. At least three days a week.

[Jill]

Are you showering on those days?

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jill]

Few.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

When you're using soap 100% always.

[Jen]

I use Dove soap that I bought in bulk at Costco.

[Jill]

Love Costco. Love library. Yeah, I do shower every day, but I don't wash my hair every day. That's my radical middle.

[Jen]

And you know what?

[Jill]

Now that we're doing videos, sometimes you.

[Jen]

Can tell I do have to wash my hair before we do a video. I. I washed my hair last night. I went for a run last night and I did shower afterwards. And this is how. This is how we go.

[Jill]

It looks good.

[Jen]

And I might pull it back into a ponytail after we stop recording? Who knows? I don't know.

[Jill]

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