What’s happening
Criminals are impersonating well-known companies like Amazon and YouTube via SMS. They pose as recruiters offering well-paid, flexible, task-based work from home opportunities.
The selling points of the jobs on offer include:
- a high salary
- remote work
- flexible working hours or days
- free job training.
The message will claim that there are only 20 or 25 positions available creating a sense of urgency.
Some roles are advertised as ‘e-commerce assistant’ while others are described as optimising product listings.
Once you respond expressing your interest, you are directed to an encrypted WhatsApp chat for further information.
You will complete sets of tasks, set up a cryptocurrency account, and may be paid a small sum of money to build your trust. Then, to unlock the next set of tasks and earn your commission you will be told to ‘top up’ your account with your own money. Once you pay this money, you will never get it back.
Amazon have published information on their website to help you identify a scam.
Who’s at risk
Anyone could be targeted by this scam. You don’t need to be an existing Amazon customer or use YouTube. However, you may be at greater risk if you are:
- searching for employment
- looking for ways to make extra money
- looking for flexible work hours and the ability to work from home.
What this might look like
Warning signs to look out for
- Unexpected contact from a ‘recruiter’ via SMS or encrypted messaging.
- Jobs offering a high salary for little work and effort.
- Jobs that require no experience, qualifications or references that you can perform remotely.
- Being told to pay with your own money to make more money.
- Job details are vague but are about rating products or optimising listings.
Protect yourself from scams by:
STOP. Scammers impersonate high-profile companies and offer attractive jobs that aren’t real. Don’t rush to act, take your time. Never pay money upfront to start a job. Be wary of jobs that offer high pay for easy work. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.
CHECK. Check whether the message you’ve received is real. Real job offers will be posted on legitimate recruitment sites and real recruiters will not move your conversation to an encrypted platform like WhatsApp. Contact the organisation directly using a phone number you’ve sourced yourself to see if they are recruiting and whether the job is real. Remember, no real job will require you to pay money before you make money.
PROTECT. If you’ve given money or personal information to someone you suspect is a scammer, act quickly. Visit Scamwatch to learn what to do if you’ve been scammed and what steps you can follow.
