Safe or scam? Job/Task scams
Job or ‘Task’ Scams are becoming more common. This could be because they can be very convincing or it could be down to more people seeking supplementary income due to the cost of living crisis. Here at Refundee, this is now the most common type of scam that we are dealing with.
Regardless of the reason, we want to explain more about how these scams work to protect you from falling victim to one of these scams by looking out for the red flags.
Almost all task scams begin with an unsolicited message, most commonly on WhatsApp or Telegram, offering a job opportunity. This is working from home, flexible hours and requires no experience.
The scammer will explain that the job role will include completing a set of tasks and you will be able to earn commission on each task. They may also offer a salary per day, which will be in cryptocurrency.
Sometimes the scammers have cloned genuine companies, which means that they may initially show you a website that is in-fact a legitimate company. When you search the company name on Google and TrustPilot, it will all seem genuine. However, when it comes to completing the job, they will send you another link to their ‘portal’ which is a fraudulent website. It is really important to check the URL of the links they send, if they are different to the original company website - it is a scam.
The premise of the job is to complete ‘tasks’ that simulate purchasing products in order to improve a company's sales. You will come across a task that will bring your account into a negative balance. You will be expected to pay money into the account, in cryptocurrency, to continue to the next task. You will be told by the ‘customer service’ that you will be refunded your deposits and receive any commission made at the end of the set of tasks.
It is important to say at this point, that cryptocurrency is not a regulated currency and the majority of legitimate jobs would not pay their employees this way.
In some cases, for the first few days the deposits are made, you may receive small returns. The fraudsters do this to gain your trust and ultimately convince you further down the line that you will get your money back.
The tasks become more and more expensive over the coming days, until you are expected to make deposits of thousands of pounds. These ‘premium tasks’ are described by the scammers as ‘lucky’ and that it means you’ll receive more commission.
It will get to a point that being able to pay becomes impossible. The scammers may suggest that you take out loans, use credit cards or borrow from friends to continue depositing money, so that you can finish the set of tasks.
The scammers will maintain there is nothing they can do until the set is completed. They will say that the only way to withdraw your money is to reach the end of the set as it is company policy.
Regardless if you pay to reach the end of the set or not, they will not return your money. They will continue to make excuses, suggesting you need to pay tax and fees for withdrawals until either you cannot afford it or they remove you from any further communication.
A legitimate company would never ask you to make payments as part of your job, especially not in cryptocurrency.
These scams are very sophisticated and the scammers are experienced so it can seem very convincing.
So, how do you check if it is SAFE or a SCAM?
Here is a summary of the red flags to look out for if you are approached by a recruiter or offered a job opportunity:
🚩You have received an unsolicited text message or cold call offering the job
🚩You do not have to provide a cover letter or CV
🚩They are asking you to complete tasks for commission (there are lots of variations of the types of tasks, so it’s best to always err on the side of caution)
🚩They may pose as a legitimate company, so look out for discrepancies in links, logos and ‘official documents’ they send you
🚩You are told that you are working for a well known company but are not dealing directly with them
🚩They ask you to download a new online bank, the most common we see is Revolut
🚩They only deal in cryptocurrency and ask you to download or use a wallet for the job
🚩You are expected to make deposits for premium products or tasks which are increasing in value and frequency
🚩You have to complete a set number of tasks before withdrawing your money
🚩In many cases, there are consistent spelling mistakes or grammar errors during communication with the scammers
Checks you can do if you are unsure if a company is legitimate:
Check companies house here : https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company
Type into google the company name and ‘scam’ and see if there are any results
Check the FCA warning list here: https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart/warning-list
Spelling mistakes in any documents sent in effort to prove legitimacy
Check the website address is the same as the genuine company’s and they haven’t asked you to make a new profile with a different link
If you are ever unsure whether or not a job offer is genuine, call the number on the back of your bank card and speak to your bank’s fraud team.
If you have lost money to this type of scam, Refundee can help you get your money back from your bank and you can fill in our fraud refund claim form for a free consultation. Our fee is 15% plus VAT on anything that we get back, and we don't charge anything if we are not successful. For larger cases, the fee is subject to a maximum of £10k plus VAT per case.
Remember you don’t need to use a company like Refundee, you could work your case yourself for free! If you’d like to get a refund yourself, you can do this by following the ‘Claim Yourself’ guide here: https://www.refundee.com/claim-yourself.
