Beware of scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks
[July 09, 2025] By
CORA LEWIS
NEW YORK (AP) — As job-seekers look for work in a challenging
environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that
promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the
Federal Trade Commission.
The scams start innocuously, often with a tailor-made text or WhatsApp
message, and the scammers take time to build trust with the victim
before cashing in on the relationship.
“Most of the people who end up losing money to a scammer are behaving
pretty rationally,” said Kati Daffan, assistant director of the Federal
Trade Commission’s division of marketing practices. “Scammers are
sophisticated, and they keep changing their tactics."
Reported losses to job scams increased more than threefold from 2020 to
2023. In the first half of 2024, they topped $220 million, according to
the FTC. Gamified job scams, or task scams, represented a significant
portion of that growth. About 20,000 people reported experiencing
gamified scams in the first part of 2024, compared to 5,000 in all of
2023.
Daffan said that that the number is certainly an underestimate, because
many people don’t report their experiences of job scams to law
enforcement or government trackers.
“Only 4.8% of people complain,” she said.
Here's what to know:
How the scams work
The scam typically begins with an unexpected text or WhatsApp message
from a “recruiter” offering online work, according to the FTC. The
mystery texter will say you can “make good money” by “product boosting”
or doing “optimization tasks” for an online platform or in an app, which
might involve liking videos or rating product images.
This “job” promises to earn you money from “commissions” per click. Once
you complete the tasks, you'll see an increasing tally of “earnings” on
the platform or in the app. These earnings are fake.
Eventually, the app or platform will ask you to deposit your own money,
typically in crypto, to complete more tasks and withdraw your
(non-existent) earnings. But if you do make the deposit, you lose your
real money, and you never receive the illusory pay.
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A person looks at their phone at Seattle–Tacoma International
Airport on Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane,
File)
 Who gets targeted
Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, said these
types of scammers typically prey on job-seekers who are new to the
job market, people who have been out of the job market for some time
(such as homemakers re-entering the workforce, whose children are
grown), and immigrants, who may be less familiar with the employment
landscape or who face language barriers.
“Often the job will have an easy interview or no interview, promise
to let you work from home, and let you start right away,” Velasquez
said. “Sometimes they'll start with praise, and the person will feel
their skills are recognized. ‘Oh, you think I’m great? Tell me
more.'”
Velasquez emphasized the vulnerability of people looking for work,
especially given ongoing economic uncertainty, who may choose to
accept a role even if it initially feels shady.
“Sometimes the ask is to leave phony reviews for products,” she
said. “The scammers are probably selling those reviews illegally,
but a job-seeker might look at a line and say, ‘I’ll cross that
line. I've got to eat.'”
Tips for spotting a task-based scam
— Ignore any generic and unexpected texts or WhatsApp messages about
jobs, no matter how specific or complimentary the messages.
— Never pay to get paid, or to get a job. That requirement is a red
flag that the position is a scam.
— Don’t trust employers who says they’ll pay you to rate or like
things online, without an above-board process for using the actual
products or services you're rating.
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