A text about making extra money can feel harmless at first.Maybe it shows up while you are between errands, scrolling on the couch or looking for a way to pad your budget.That is exactly why these scams work.
They do not always begin with a wild promise.Often, they start with a simple message about flexible online work.
Then the scammer slowly turns curiosity into trust.Rick S.shared this painful warning after reading one of our articles on scams:"I am embarrassed to say this happened to me.
I was contacted by text message about making some "extra" money.I was skeptical at first.
This "company" was supposed to upload apps in order to get more exposure for the apps.This was supposedly associated with a company called APPTimizer.
I called myself doing the research and felt confident that this was a legitimate business.I was led to believe the more "APPS" I uploaded, the more money I would make.
All of this was done through Crypto.Long story short, I lost about $10k.
Hard lesson to learn."FAKE JOB INTERVIEW EMAILS INSTALLING HIDDEN CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING MALWAREA man says he lost $10,000 in cryptocurrency after a text message about easy app work turned into a fake job scam.(Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images)Rick's story fits a growing scam category often called a task scam, task-optimization scam or crypto job scam.
These scams often begin with unexpected texts or WhatsApp messages offering online work.The "job" may involve fake tasks such as app optimization, product boosting, liking content or rating items online.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportA text job scam is a fake employment offer sent by text, WhatsApp, Telegram or social media message.
The pitch usually sounds easy.You may be told you can earn money from home by completing simple online tasks.In Rick's case, the supposed work involved uploading apps to help them get more exposure.
Scammers often use vague tech terms because they sound legitimate without being easy to verify....