Is Secret Shopper job extra money or will it cost you?

It's a new year and a new way to make money might sound nice, but the ABC15 Investigators found one job to avoid.

It's a scam that involves a legitimate industry called "Secret Shoppers."

One Valley woman says it sounded great.

You get an assignment and have 24 hours to complete it.

Her "employer" sent her a check for $870.

She kept $200 for her first job, testing customer service at a local department store.

Then the employer wanted her to test something else.

They told her after she deposited the check into her bank account, to use the rest of the money.

She was to wire it through Western Union to test their customer service.

Anytime we hear about big checks being sent requiring money being wired, it's a scam.

This woman didn't know that and thought testing the wire service was just part of the job.

She sent more than $600 from her bank account and lost it.

It was a scam and she never saw the money, again.

Because we see so many scams associated with Secret Shoppers, stay away from any work offers in the industry unless you've done a lot of research.

Again, if ever asked to wire money to someone you don't know, run!

Email me with any consumer scams you see or tell me about them on my ABC15 Facebook page .