Job searches now primarily happen online, with job hunters taking to recruitment sites or forums and social media groups in an attempt to find roles. But, with all of this activity happening online, it might come as no surprise that, much like many other online tasks and activities, it is one that is being used by scammers.
Job task scams are on the increase, with scammers impersonating genuine businesses or recruitment companies in an attempt to steal personal information from victims, or get individuals to carry out tasks with the promise of paying them after they’ve been completed, only for the money never to be sent. These scams are taking advantage of people who may be under pressure to get a new job or a secondary form of employment in order to support their family at a time when money is stretched more than ever.
At WRS, we’ve worked with clients who have lost out financially due to job task scams, so we take a closer look at job scams in our latest blog.
What Are Job Task Scams?
Job task scams usually start with a method of communication, typically a WhatsApp or Facebook message, which offers the victim a job opportunity. These “jobs” tend to offer work from home opportunities, flexible hours and good rates of pay, without the need for any prior experience. Victims who are actively job hunting may have previously filled out scam application forms on legitimate recruitment sites such as Indeed, so the message won’t be unexpected.
The scammer will then go on to explain to the victim that to secure the role, they will need to complete some initial tasks, from which they can earn money from completing, or they may offer a daily salary in the form of cryptocurrency. It’s important to note that in a lot of cases, the scammer will have cloned a legitimate business site so that they appear more genuine and they know that should victims search the business name, then reviews and linked sites will show up, adding another layer of legitimacy to the scam.
In order to get the victim to complete the initial tasks, the job task scammer will create a separate portal, which is mocked up with the branding of the legitimate business, but will be where the scam is conducted. When the victim works through the initial “tasks”, they might be given their own login details to access their account and here, the scammer will display an amount which increases with each task completed, indicating that they are getting paid for their work.
However, as with a lot of online and crypto scams, once complete, the scammer will request that the victim either makes a deposit or pays a fee in cryptocurrency to release the funds. Upon initial deposits being made, the scammer may then give you small returns in the first few days to appear trustworthy, but this will not equate to anything near the promised returns.
It will likely get to a point where the scammers will say that they are unable to release the funds unless more tasks are completed, or more deposits are paid, and it is here that victims find that they have lost quite a considerable amount of money. These scams are very deceitful and manipulative, and it is not the fault of the victim.
3 Common Job Scams
As well as the above, there are many other variations of job scams that people may be targeted with. Scammers will use a wide variety of different strategies in order to trick victims into sharing personal information, or to exploit them financially.
Fake Job Listings
Fake job listings are a common type of job scam and, although job sites have measures in place to ensure that only legitimate employers can place adverts on the site, scammers still manage to get their scam job listings posted. Fake job listings may also appear on social media pages and forums, where candidates are asked to pay upfront fees for equipment or an admin fee to process their application.
Phone Rate Scams
Some job scams will involve the victim being given a number to call for an interview, or to get more information regarding a role, but when they ring the number they find that they are on hold for an extended period of time, which then generates a huge bill. In some cases, the scammer may even hold a fake interview over the phone which can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, costing the victim hundreds of pounds.
Pyramid Schemes
Designed with the promise of being able to work for yourself, or be your own boss, pyramid schemes, also known as ponzi scams, involve individuals being recruited with the main goal of selling products to friends and family, or via online and social media forums.
However, in order to get started, the victim will need to invest a sum upfront and buy products in advance. These products will be very expensive, or require a minimum spend to get started. If the individual can recruit others to join, then they will likely be promised a commission for each person they sign up, which they will never receive, but the scammer will continue to make money on the initial spend they require.
Have You Been The Victim Of A Job Task Scam?
If you believe that you have fallen victim to a job task scam and have lost large amounts of money or cryptocurrency, then our team may be able to help trace and recover your lost funds. We operate on a no win, no fee basis, with free consultations available with our team, so contact us today!
