Job scams: Like, Subscribe and Get Paid, have you fallen for ‘work-from-home’ frauds?

Representational image. (Photo: Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash)

“All you have to do is Like three YouTube videos or Subscribe to three channels and we will pay you 150 bucks after every completion of three tasks.” Does this sound familiar to you as well? I have been approached by such companies at least thrice. But the catch is when they ask you to subscribe to their top-up programs on Telegram by paying a certain amount to make your investment double and then keep topping up the amount to keep earning a lot of money just by liking videos at home. This is one of the most common work-from-home scams that has been doing the rounds in India.

A 29-year-old working professional who is also a single mother lost Rs 14.25 lakh soon after she fell prey to this type of a job scam. She was approached by a woman named Priya on WhatsApp from a company claiming to be the agency Leo Burnett for a job role as a social media specialist. It was a home-based online job that promised to pay Rs 2,000-5,000 per day. As a part of her first task, she was asked to like a YouTube video and then she was asked to download Telegram and get in touch with the company’s receptionist who will make the payment.

As promised, she was paid and then was asked to subscribe to their top-up plans which would help her gain multifold return on investment. Over time, she was introduced to multiple professionals in the company to build trust and she was sinking in debt having invested a hefty amount of Rs 14.25 lakh. The money was transferred to eight different bank accounts over 10 days.

The woman, on conditions of anonymity, told Moneycontrol that she has lost all her savings and has been suffering from mental trauma. She has also filed a case with cybercrime against the said company.

A similar incident happened with a 28-year-old IT professional from Noida who ended up losing Rs 2.5 lakh. He has also been deeply impacted by the incident and is ashamed to let down his family. There are many other incidents of such pre-paid task frauds online where people have lost crores of rupees.

It is noticeable that none of the people who became a victim of this type of work-from-home fraud were naïve or new working professionals. They all were trapped as the people, they were reached out by, were able to gain their trust immensely by showing proof of websites, and company details, introducing them to team members, repaying a certain amount of money, and so on.

While this is one of the most common types of work-from-home job fraud at this moment, there are certainly other types of scammers that rob people off by promising employment. One angle to look at it could be that they target the pain point of Indians which is the rising rate of unemployment or a low minimum wage even in professional jobs. Indians are always looking for ways to earn more money during this time of recession.

According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate in India rose to 8.30 per cent in December 2022, the highest in 16 months.

Types of work-from-home scams

Data-entry scams: In this type of scam, individuals are promised high-paying data entry jobs, but after paying registration fees or purchasing software, they discovered that the work did not exist or the materials provided were of poor quality.

Online-survey scams: Here, victims are enticed to participate in online surveys that claimed to offer substantial earnings. However, after completing the surveys, they were either not paid or were asked to pay a fee to receive their earnings.

Freelance-job scams: Fraudsters posed as clients or recruiters, offering freelance-job opportunities requiring specific skills such as writing, graphic design, or programming. Victims are either not paid for their work or received fake cheques, which they unknowingly deposited into their bank accounts only to be held responsible when they bounced.

Fake-job offers: Scammers posted fraudulent job listings on job portals or social media platforms, targeting seekers looking for work-from-home options. They requested personal information, demanded payment for processing fees or training, and often disappeared after receiving the money or sensitive data.

How to identify red flags

Hariom Seth, founder of a job portal Find.Inc lists the following simple ways to identify a work-from-home scam:

1. Requests for personal information or fees upfront

2. Promises of quick and easy money

3. Vague job descriptions or unrealistic expectations

4. Poor communication or unprofessional behaviour

Nikhil Jois, growth head at no-code identity decisioning platform Bureau, adds that scammers often use well-known company names and logos to make their offers seem more legitimate, but it is important to verify the authenticity of any offer before accepting it.

“Be wary of requests for personal information, especially if they are from unknown sources. Also, avoid giving out financial information such as bank account or credit card numbers, and be cautious of any requests to make payments or investments. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a work-from-home opportunity, do your research and seek advice from trusted sources. Ultimately, staying vigilant and being cautious can help you spot red flags and avoid becoming a victim of work-from-home scams,” Jois says.

What to do if you have been financially abused?

In case you have fallen prey to this type of financial fraud, experts recommend to:

●     First, stop all communication with fraudsters and block them

●     Gather all the information and contact details of fraudsters and any evidence of the fraud such as screenshots of conversations or emails.

●     Keep a record of all the payments made to the fraudsters

●     Report the fraud to the relevant authorities such as the police, cybercrime cell or the consumer court

●     Inform bank and credit card companies about the fraud and take the necessary steps to secure their accounts

Financial abuse is mental abuse: Tips to deal with it

In most of the cases we studied, victims who were financially abused also felt mentally abused. The best way is to not judge yourself based on this one incident and try to move forward in life. Shivangi Sagar, counselling psychologist and co-founder of the mental health platform HopeQure, believes that one should not be afraid of sharing the incident with friends and family as they can help the victim in the process of healing.

On the other hand, Mynoo Maryel, an accomplished author and a thought leader recommends following the AAA approach to overcoming trauma or distress from financial fraud:

Acknowledge: Acknowledge fully what has occurred. Ask yourself how you feel about it and where in your body does this feeling reside? “When something traumatic occurs, we land up hiding it or pushing it to one side and this in itself puts a lot of pressure on us, causing an escalation of anxiety which multiplies and leads to anguish, a feeling of hopelessness, a feeling of being out of control and slide into a realm of depression,” Maryel says.

Accept: Separate the facts from emotions. Release the attachment to the meaning of what occurred and unconditionally accept all that is. When it comes to financial fraud, the event is distressing, what converts the distress into trauma is when we associate meanings to these episodes, with regard to ourselves, the impact of the fraud becomes greatly exaggerated by the meaning we give it.

Accomplish: Now, acknowledge yourself, for all the good and great things you have done in life. This restores your confidence, and you start to feel accomplished or think about what you have to accomplish. This expands you and brings into your current reality the vibrations of what you envision.

Work-from-home frauds are becoming increasingly widespread in India resulting in thousands of people losing their hard-earned money. It is essential to remain cautious in such scenarios and don’t fall prey to any such incidents. And if you are dealing with any such incidents already, ensure to keep moving forward without being too judgemental about yourself.