What it is
The task scam is the fastest-growing job scam by report volume. The FTC reported that these gamified job scams jumped from a few thousand reports in 2023 to around 20,000 in just the first half of 2024, making up roughly 40 percent of job-scam reports for the year. It is convincing because it pays you - at first.
How it reaches you
You are recruited by text or on WhatsApp or Telegram, added to a busy group chat of "coworkers" posting earnings, and pointed to a polished app with a rising balance. Early small withdrawals work, which converts your doubt into belief.
The tell
At some point you must put your own money in to get money out - to "unlock" a tier, clear a "negative balance," or "release" a withdrawal. That deposit, usually in crypto because it is irreversible, is the entire scam. A real job never requires you to deposit to earn.
What to do
Stop before any deposit; you have lost nothing yet. If you already deposited, do not add more to recover it - report to the FTC and the FBI's IC3 and follow the recovery checklist. Full detail: is this remote task or data-entry job a scam?