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College graduates who need temporary work while looking for full-time jobs may be interested in mystery shopping, but the FTC cautions that many mystery shopping offers are scams.

It seems like an attractive proposition:  getting paid to shop or dine out, and then provide reports about the experience.  However, scammers often ask mystery shoppers to pay an up-front fee before they start, or to deposit a check that turns out to be phony.

• Don’t pay upfront fees to be a mystery shopper.  Legitimate companies don’t charge people to work for them.
• Never agree to deposit a check from someone you don’t know and then wire money back.  The check will bounce, and you will owe your bank the money you withdrew.

To learn more, go to .

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.

(FYI college mystery shop scams)