Here are a few indicative task-based part-time job scams offered on social media and messenger services. (a) Free work-at-home opportunities (b) high-paying for likes and reviews (c) Phoney social media influencers use investment and earning opportunity seminars. (d) part-time jobs with full-time pay via SMS, WhatsApp, and social media advertisements (e) Reseller opportunities with initial registrations and deposits (f) Fake online Investment frauds (g) Online Crypto currency investment and mining
Victims are often prompted to pay a processing, joining, or one-time registration fee to gain access to large sums of money from scammers who pretend to be officials from reputed investment firms. offering huge earnings for individuals on reselling for online shopping platforms, online social media likes, or online reviews on blogs. They steal the money by way of social engineering crimes (i.e., earned money accumulates and shows up in wallets, but victims will be unable to withdraw amounts).
These schemes often target vulnerable groups, including retired employees, educated house wives, and unemployed youth, tempting them with high returns of commission for completing online tasks such as video likes, reviews, subscriptions, google ratings, virtual shopping etc. Victims are initially paid small commissions and then they are persuaded to invest larger amounts for higher returns.
Modus Operandi of Work from Home Frauds in India
Most of the fraudulent schemes in India follow a definite pattern, usually earning trust over some period before pulling off money in large sums from the victim.
Initial Contact: Social Media Engagement
It starts with an offer that seems very hard to resist: Get paid for liking, commenting, or subscribing on social media. This phase is so harmless-looking and free from any risks that most people who search for opportunities to make an easy buck online fall for it. The ads are usually seen on the following social media:
- SMS
In most cases, victims are always required to perform a very petty act to get the promised payment, for instance, liking posts on or subscribing to certain social media channels. Naturally, money may sometimes be paid to gain trust.
Small payments and testimonials to build trust
Gaining confidence from these small payment schemes, more lucrative opportunities are floated to the victim, such as
- High-return financial schemes
- Cryptocurrency trading opportunity
- Online shopping platforms offering whopping discounts
Additionally, fake testimonials, fabricated success stories, and doctored screenshots of large profits are paraded before the victims to daze them further. Professional-looking websites or social media profiles can also be created to make them look legitimate.
The investment phase: increased demands
At this stage, after gaining a little trust from the victim, demands for more investment money are increased by these scammers. This often involves:
- Exclusive investment groups where entry fees run into thousands
- Expensive cryptocurrency trading
- Products that do not exist on fake e-commerce websites.
Victims are lured into investing hefty amounts, at times running into several lakhs of rupees. The scammers create a pressure situation, telling them that it is a limited-period offer or that the market will change soon to force the victims into making quick decisions.
The Scam Exposed: Realisation Sets in
The scam comes to light only when the victims try to withdraw their supposed profits or the products they ordered never arrive. By then, the fraudsters have vanished with the money of the victims. On average, the financial losses in these scams are pegged at around 10 lakh rupees, and in most cases, victims are financially and emotionally devastated.
Cases in Real Life and Financial Impact:
Several cases in India underscore the serious impact of fraud. At End Now Foundation, we receive an average of 15+ cases daily via email and WhatsApp, with most victims reporting losses from stock trading or cryptocurrency platforms and fewer cases related to online shopping scams.
It is alarming to note that many of those who reach out to us are well-to-do, highly educated individuals with extensive trading experience. Another concerning pattern is the significant number of educated housewives falling victim to these frauds.
The average reported loss is at least 5 lakh rupees, and we frequently encounter cases where individuals have lost up to a crore, with at least one such report daily.
Few Frauds and Red Flags:
Few task based online cyber frauds are..
- Reselling on Shopping Portal
- Social Media Reviews & Social Media Likes & Social Media Subscriptions
- Crypto Currency Investment
- Online Stock Trading
- Survey Schemes
- Virtual Shopping
Few Red Flags are (a) Promising abnormally high guaranteed returns. (b) Requesting a high initial investment, i.e., joining fee or processing fee, etc. In order to apply for the job or task (c) Investing in apps not listed in the App Store or Play Store and unregistered companies (d) Advertisements by fake social media influencers (e) Offer bonuses if you recruit your friends and family into the fraudulent schemes. (f) Requiring payment for training or materials.(g) Having fake review sites or testimonials (h) Impersonate legitimate companies or organisations (Check for the logos and website url properly) (i) Unrealistic high returns (j) Lack of verifiable information about the company (k) Pressure to act quickly (l) Inconsistent or Poorly Written Communication (m)
Guarding Yourself Against Work-from-Home Scams :
Beware of these ever-evolving scams; the following points should be kept in mind all the time:
- Avoid disclosure of personal information: Never share sensitive personal or financial information with unknown individuals or companies.
- Report Suspicious Activity: If you have come across any potential scam, do report it to the concerned authorities, such as the Citizen Financial Fraud Management System (Toll Free: 1930), or reach your nearest cybercrime police station immediately.
- Do Research: Before getting involved in any work-from-home opportunity, details regarding the company or the person offering you a job should be checked. One can check for reviews, online presence, or credibility.
- Short links: Never click on short links without verifying if it’s a genuine link or phishing link; you may validate with https://threatcop.com/phishing-url-checker.
- Applications: Install applications only from the Play Store or Apps Store; never install applications sent via links having (i.e., APK or DMZ) on your smartphones.
- Withdraw Amount: You will be unable to withdraw amounts as shown in the Wallet, they would pressurise or convince you to either pay more or pay taxes for withdrawing the amounts.
- Be wary of very high returns: Very high returns that require very little effort are a classic characteristic or attribute of such phishing scams.
- Check the methods of payment: If you are asked to invest using untraceable methods, such as in cryptocurrencies or by wiring money, then be suspicious.
What to do when you are scammed online :
Immediately call the toll-free number 1930 “Citizen Financial Fraud Management System” within an hour of realising the fraud or you can report the crime as a complaint on https://www.cybercrime.gov.in. If you want to file a complaint under the “One Nation, One Ombudsman” scheme (if the money was lost via UPI payment), you can call the toll-free number 14448 or go to https://cms.rbi.org.in.
If the victim’s money is still available in the fraudster’s account, the respective bank will put it on hold. Subsequently, the complainant has to appear in court formally, and then the money is transferred to the complainant’s account.
