The ads for mystery shoppers tout enticing perquisites: Eat free gourmet meals, buy high-end clothes and make up to $60 an hour. You can launch yourself in this fabulous -- and fictitious -- career for a mere $25 to $60.
Mark Michelson of Michelson & Associates Inc., an Atlanta-based company, warns that the hype is phony. "Shops don't pay by the hour, " Michelson says.
Mystery shoppers are compensated by the assignment, usually around $15 -- and that includes the time it takes to complete lengthy reports. But, hey, that's not shabby if you consider the pricey merchandise you get to keep, right? Michelson punches a hole in that theory, too. "The merchandise usually has to be returned unless it's a very small item, " he says.

His advice: If you want to be a mystery shopper, either deal with a marketing company affiliated with the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, which is a professional alliance, or contact the company you want to work for directly. You can be put on a list of mystery shoppers that employers use for free. You should never pay a third party for that information.