It can be tough to find a job these days, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be vigilant about prospective jobs. Especially if it’s a game-like job that comes by way of a messaging app like Whatsapp. In all likelihood, it’s a scam.
As we’ve said before on the SSLs.com blog, if something seems too good to be true, it more than likely is. With job scams, you’re more likely to lose money than earn it. Losses to job scams topped $220 million in the first half of 2024. Task scams drove this trend, accounting for 40% of online scam jobs in 2024.
The FTC recently released a report about a spike in such scam jobs over the past few years. They increased from 0 in 2020 to 5000 in 2023 before shooting up to 20,000 in the first half of 2024.
What are task scams?
Task scams, as the name suggests, involve victims carrying out simple, repetitive tasks. This can include rating product images or liking videos, which will be described to victims as “app optimization” or “product boosting”.
The work is usually carried out on a specific app or platform, which adds to the authenticity of the job and the illusion of collecting commissions as they go. People are often given a set of forty tasks at a time and sometimes a “double task” which promises double commission.
To keep up the illusion, victims sometimes receive a small payout at the start. But the illusion is short-lived. After that, victims are required to spend money to make money. The scammers inform them they’ll need to charge up tier accounts to keep receiving tasks and not lose the commission they’ve already earned. People are led to believe they’ll get the money they deposited back, but in reality, they’ll get nothing. And much like many online scams, cryptocurrency is the payment of choice.
How to avoid task scam jobs
When dealing with anything online, it’s worth casting a critical eye. Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and in a world where many have financial and job-related struggles, scammers are adept at emotional manipulation.
The FTC advises ignoring any unexpected messages you receive on WhatsApp or similar apps offering jobs. No legitimate employer will ever reach out to you this way. Furthermore, anyone offering to pay you for illegal tasks such as “liking” things online is unlikely to be legitimate. Lastly, you should never ever pay anyone else to get paid. This goes for online scams like this and beyond.
Cora is a digital copywriter for SSLs.com. Having eight years of experience in online content creation, she is a versatile writer with an interest in a wide variety of topics, ranging from technology to marketing.