12 Scams of Christmas: Mystery shopper con

Getting paid to shop sounds like the perfect job.

But the reality is, it's probably a con.

“They're real easy to be victimized by,” said scam expert Steve Weisman, said the scam starts with a job offer.

The scammer then sends you a fake check to shop. You just report back and detail your experience.

“These counterfeit checks look great,” Weisman said.

So, you deposit the counterfeit check, which appears to clear your account.

You use part of the money to shop, then wire the scammer the difference or pay them back in gift cards.

“Of course, the check is counterfeit, so it's going to bounce, but if you give them the gift cards, that's not going to bounce, if you wire the money, that's going to come right out of your account,” Weisman said.

By the time the bank flags the check as counterfeit, the scammer is long gone -- and so is your money.

:Whenever you get contacted by a mystery shopper, it's a scam,” Weisman said.