You're looking for ways to pull in a bit more dough on top of your day job, when you come across a great opportunity online as a mystery shopper. All you have to do is go into a business and use their services and you get paid for it!

You sign up, and your first paid task is to verify the quality of the service at a financial institution, for example Western Union (how fast they are, customer service, etc). The employer sends you a check for $1,150, your job is to deposit the money and wire back $1,000. The extra $150 is your payment. Seems easy enough!

Their only stipulation is that you need to do the job as soon as you get the check. You do as you're told, send off the money and email your employer the form that tells him how everything in the store stacked up. "A job well done," you think, and you think about what to do with your extra moolah.

A few days later, you check on your bank statement--and you realize you're sitting at $1,000 less than you had before you took the job! What you soon find out is that the $1,150 check they sent you bounced. They told you to hurry, knowing that in 5 business days, it would bounce and you'd realize they were playing you for a sap. Now, you're responsible for the money you owe you wired, and if you're in overdraft, you're facing a fee.

How to avoid: there are plenty of legitimate ways to make money in your spare time. There are plenty of articles online that can tell you which are the real deal, and which are bogus, so do a bit of research and don't just click on the first ad you see.