Some people have concerns about giving their social security number to mystery shopping companies. I understand the concern especially in this day of internet identity theft. I have not had any problems with any of the companies listed on my list of credible companies but you should always be careful. If you visit a site you feel uncomfortable with do not join. It is always best to go with your gut instinct. I will call the company and ask a lot of questions and even references. You can also check the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any reports files on a particular company.
Remember that this, like all other jobs where you are self-employed, you need to report your earnings at the end of each year. So keep a log of the shops you go on and the amount paid. You will get a 1099 from every company you shop for. What I do is create a spreadsheet in Excel showing the following:
- Company name
- Shop name
- Date of shop
- Amount paid
- Bonus (if any)
- Date paid
- Confirmation number (you get this after submitting your reports)
You can add whatever you want to this to help you keep track not only of the money you made but also whether or not you got paid for each one. Sometimes things go wrong so if you have proof you will always be ok.