The FBI warns of scammers offering victims fake work-from-home jobs, typically involving a relatively simple task, such as rating restaurants or "optimizing" a service by repeatedly clicking a button. The scammers pose as a legitimate business, such as a staffing or recruiting agency,and may contact victims via an unsolicited call or message. Scammers design the fake job to have a confusing compensation structure that requires victims to make cryptocurrency payments in order to earn more money or "unlock" work, and the payments go directly to the scammer. Scammers direct victims to a fake interface, which shows victims are earning money, though none of it is available to them to cash out.
Red Flags
- You are directed to make cryptocurrency payments to your employer as part of a job.
- The job description uses the term "optimization" and involves relatively simple tasks.
- The scammer does not require any references as part of the hiring process.
Tips to Protect Yourself
- Be cautious of unsolicited job offer messages and avoid clicking on links, downloading files, or opening attachments in these messages.
- Never send money to an alleged employer.
- Do not pay for services that claim to be able to recover any lost cryptocurrency funds.
- Do not send financial or personal identifiable information to people making unsolicited job offers.
Report It
The FBI requests victims report these types of fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov.
The FBI also requests victims provide any transaction information associated with the scam. For more information on what to provide the FBI, see prior IC3 PSA Alert Number I-082423-PSA.