FTC warns of online task job scams hooking victims like gambling

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns about a significant rise in gambling-like online job scams, known as "task scams," that draw people into earning cash through repetitive tasks, with the promises of earning more if they deposit their own money.

Although this type of scam was nearly non-existent in 2020, with the FTC receiving zero reports, the agency documented 5,000 cases last year. However, in 2024, the number of reports involving task scams surged, with the FTC receiving 20,000 reports from defrauded individuals in the first half of the year alone.

Consequently, reported financial losses from job scams tripled from 2020 to 2023 and exceeded $220 million in losses from January until June 2024.  The FTC says that roughly 40% of those losses are caused by the increase in "task scams", with $41 million reported stolen in the first half of 2024.

"It's almost like gambling"

FTC explains that scammers approach victims via unsolicited messages on WhatsApp and other communication or social media platforms.

The scammer offers an easy way to make money, telling the target that all they have to do is perform a set of tasks every day to earn money, such as liking videos or rating products on online platforms or through a special app. 

These scams impersonate legitimate companies, such as Deloitte, Amazon, McKinsey and Company, and Airbnb, and the victims are given tasks in sets, usually of forty items. The users are promised to receive upgraded commissions every time they complete a set and upgrade to the next level.

At first, the scam looks legitimate, as the job seeker earns small deposits of $50- $60 in USDT or Ethereum cryptocurrency.

However, at some point, when the victim has accumulated a significant "commission" on the app, they are requested to make a deposit supposedly to unlock withdrawal options and the next task set.

Many victims deposit money, expecting to receive the deposit back along with the commission, but instead, their money is stolen by the scammers.

In numerous Reddit threads [1, 2], task scam victims shared their experiences, with some claiming to have deposited as much as $8,500, expecting to receive far more back in return.

"They pay commissions after I completed every 40 tasks. And I actually got paid in crypto USDT at first few days, around 40 usdt each day," explained a task scam victim.

"So it was quite believable, even though I was suspicious. I kept going with doubts because they said I'll get extra salary of 800 usdt after completing 5 consecutive days. The thing is, I have to deposit some money for some tasks and eventually, it went up to 12800 usdt."

"I am another victim which scammed by The Tool and they insist that are legitimate! I already lost $8500CAD and they ask for another $6000USDT and when I complain and told them I complain to police they responded that I better get a lawyer!," reported another victim.

Those who hesitate to deposit money to access their fake earnings are invited to join group chats where they hear fabricated 'success stories' from supposed workers.

Unfortunately, due to the gamified nature of these scams, many who lost money looked at them as gambling, taking the risk that their deposits would eventually lead to more money.

"It's almost like gambling, because you never know when/if the combo task is going to show up. It's addicting and fun, and if you get caught up in it, you can lose money," another task scam victim shared on Reddit.

FTC says cryptocurrency is commonly used in these scams to make tracing the perpetrators harder, so this is one red flag to consider when invited to participate.

Other signs of fraud include buzzwords like "product boosting" and "app optimization," which should be treated with suspicion.

The US agency suggests ignoring all unsolicited invites to jobs, especially those promoted as simple online task-based jobs, as no legitimate employer follows such practices.

Also, any job involving liking or rating things online in exchange for money is illegal and should be avoided under all circumstances.