Task / Mission scams have been increasingly popular since the pandemic and the rise in work-from-home jobs. The scammers use advanced platforms which look as genuine as any other site to make these scams extremely convincing so you should never be ashamed if you have fallen victim to a scam similar to this.
Scammers as professionals at what they do will try to take advantage of anyone they can.
What is a Task / Missions Scam?
A task scam is a form of investment scam whereby a scammer will contact a victim promoting an online job opportunity which is often a commission-based role.
The job usually entails reviewing products and scammers often tell victims that these products are from a genuine company such as Amazon. Scammers will then set victims up on their online site where the victims will begin working.
Scammers will then usually set a victim a minimum requirement of tasks to be completed per day, for example, 40 tasks. Once the 40 tasks have been completed, victims are then informed they can withdraw their earnings. However, scammers ask victims to first invest their money into the platform as they are required to pay an upfront fee to unlock these tasks. The larger the fee, the more commission they are promised.
The tasks then tend to become increasingly more expensive until the victim can no longer afford to continue completing their tasks. Scammers will then refuse to release any of the funds until the set of 40 is complete and the victim will be left with no way of recovering their monies.
Why Are Task / Mission Scams So Convincing?
Scammers often create highly professional platforms that closely mimic genuine websites or applications, making them appear completely legitimate.
These platforms may falsely link themselves to reputable companies like Amazon to gain credibility. However, it usually becomes clear later that the genuine company has no association with the scammers.
Reputable companies, including Amazon, do run legitimate affiliate programs, though they operate very differently from the scammers’ schemes. For someone unfamiliar with these programs, it can be easy to mistake a scam for a legitimate opportunity with a trusted brand.
Since the rise of remote and flexible working after COVID-19, work-from-home roles have become commonplace, making it easy for these scams to resemble genuine remote job offers.
Furthermore, there is a significant lack of public awareness around task/mission scams. While many people are aware of investment and impersonation scams, information and warnings about these newer scams are sparse, leaving individuals more vulnerable.
Things to look out for to keep yourself protected and well aware of Task scams scams:
- Unsolicited correspondence from recruiters offering a remote / online job role.
- Scammers will often pretend to have links to genuine companies.
- Scammers will often promote commission based jobs to create the impression that the more you invest the more profit you will generate.
- Scammers will set restrictions on when an ‘employee’ can withdraw their funds, for example, upon completion of 40 tasks.
What to do if you have been scammed
If you have lost over £3,000.00 to an online scam, Phoenix Legal Solicitors may be able to help you recover your lost funds.
Don’t waste any time in contacting us and we will conduct a free evaluation of your claim.
Contact us