Scammers are always on the lookout for new ways by which they can dupe people out of their hard-earned money. The newest trick they've been employing is targeting job seekers using task scams. In fact, task scams have become one of the most common methods scammers use, and one reason for that is that they have been proven to be effective even against people who generally are aware and use caution when online.

What are task scams? In a task scam, you get a message from an unknown number on messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. The person claims to be working in a company and offers you a job that you can do from home, promising a certain amount of money. All you need to do is complete various tasks, which can vary, depending on the job the person described, and the payment will be made on a daily basis, the amount ranging from $300 to $800.

If you appear to be interested, the scammer will give you a task to complete. The tasks assigned are very simple, such as following and liking certain pages on social media platforms, so anyone can complete them easily. Once you complete the first task assigned to you, you will get some money, something around $15, which is a way for the scammer to build trust. If you choose to continue, you will get more tasks to complete. After some time, the scammer will ask you to pay a certain amount of money required for identity verification or to get more tasks. Additionally, they may ask you for other sensitive details, including your credit card information.

This is basically the ultimate goal of the scammers, to get you to pay them money, or share such information which they can use to withdraw money from your bank account. If you do not do either of these, the scammer will try to convince you to do so to get more tasks and earn more money. The only way to get them to stop contacting you is to avoid sharing any details or handing over any money.

Protecting yourself from task scams

The reason why task scams have been so successful is that they create the illusion that you can easily make money by performing easy, repetitive tasks from your home.

That is why the best way to protect yourself against them is to apply your common sense – if the job described in the task message sounds too good to be true, then it most likely is. Real companies or individuals are not going to pay you a good amount of money just to like their social pages and view their videos.

Additionally, it is always a good idea to use caution when you get messages from unknown numbers, including those on messaging platforms like WhatsApp. Do not pay attention to unexpected or generic messages about jobs on such platforms. The best course of action is to not reply to such messages at all, but even if you do, avoid sharing any sensitive information, including personal details related to your credit cards, crypto wallets, and bank accounts.

Also, scammers often ask for payments in cryptocurrencies, which is a major red flag, since all crypto transactions are completely anonymous. So, you won't be able to track your crypto payments, unlike those made through regular currency.

The most important thing here is to understand that a real employer will never ask you to make any payment to get a job or get more money in return. It simply does not make any sense for a genuine company or an individual working for such a company to ask for money from potential employees and then promise to pay them larger amounts. Never pay anyone to get a job or to get paid. Similarly, do not trust someone when they say they'll pay you to perform tasks like rating or liking things online. That is how the scam starts.

Things to know

  • Task scams are usually designed to target tech-savvy individuals since they are more likely to take part in online experiments and tasks. So, even if you are such a person, be careful when clicking on links promising payouts and rewards.
  • Scammers will also try to pressure you into taking action they want and can even get angry. In some cases, they may threaten you via messages, which often frightens people into doing what the scammers want. However, keep in mind that they cannot harm you no matter what they say and these are just tactics they employ to scam you out of your money.
  • Online scammers often impersonate well-known companies and agencies so people are more likely to believe them. If you get a message from a company you know or have dealt with, it is strongly recommended to contact them and confirm whether they've sent the message.
  • Finally, if you find that you've become a target of a task scam, the first thing to do is to inform the authorities in charge of dealing with cyber crimes. It is unlikely that you will get your money back, but letting the authorities know can help them take some action that may reduce such incidents in the future.