Job & Income Scams

Imposters posing as recruiters or HR to harvest personal data, fees, or to enlist money mules.

Game-like 'task' or 'commission' jobs that pay small amounts early, then demand escalating deposits.

Bogus remote-work offers built around upfront fees, useless 'kits', or unpaid 'training'.

You're sent a cheque, asked to deposit it and forward part of the funds — then the cheque bounces.

Any 'job' that requires you to pay first — for access, processing, or release of your earnings.

'Jobs' that use you to reship goods bought with stolen cards or move criminal money.

Bogus interviews via chat used to collect personal data or push equipment/onboarding fees.

Official-looking contracts and offer letters used to legitimise fees, data theft, or mule activity.

Unsolicited Telegram messages offering easy paid tasks that lead into deposit-based task scams.

Random WhatsApp messages offering remote work that funnel victims into task or fee scams.

Classic 'easy data entry from home' offers built around upfront fees or impossible accuracy clauses.

'Get paid to review apps' offers that mirror task scams, requiring deposits to unlock earnings.

Fake mystery-shopping jobs that send bogus cheques and instruct you to buy gift cards or wire funds — a classic fake-cheque variant.

Multi-level marketing pitches that generate income primarily from recruiting fees rather than selling real products.

Imposters impersonating official government recruitment agencies to charge fees for civil service or public-sector roles.

Bogus talent agencies that charge upfront fees for portfolios, headshots, or training with no genuine industry access.

One of the oldest work-from-home frauds — pay a fee, get instructions on how to run the same scam on others.

Bogus childcare and elder-care job ads used for fake-cheque fraud, money muling, or identity theft from vulnerable carers.

Bogus 'personal' or 'virtual assistant' roles used for fake-cheque, errand, or mule schemes.

Bogus internship offers that harvest personal data or charge upfront training and placement fees in exchange for experience that never materialises.

Fraudulent brand partnership offers that require social media creators to pay upfront fees, buy products, or share personal bank details before receiving payment.

Job offers made conditional on purchasing a mandatory certification, training programme, or licence that is worthless or non-existent.

Fraudulent data annotation platforms promise pay-per-task income but withhold accumulated earnings until a minimum threshold that resets or is unachievable, or require fee payments before withdrawal.

Scammers recruit 'parcel processors' to receive and forward packages at home — using them unknowingly as money mules to move goods purchased with stolen payment cards.

Fake employers advertise salaried positions but switch candidates to an unpaid commission-only model after hiring, often after the candidate has already resigned from a previous role.

Scammers pose as companies offering to pay drivers to wrap their cars with brand advertising, then send an overpayment cheque and ask the victim to forward money to a 'vehicle wrap installer.'

Fraudulent survey and market-research panel sites promise significant pay-per-survey income but pocket sign-up fees, sell personal data, or keep earnings locked behind impossible cashout thresholds.

Fraudulent apps and websites promise earnings for clicking ads or completing simple digital tasks, but never pay out — they harvest personal data, generate ad revenue for the operator, or require fees that exceed any payout.

Fraudulent 'clients' hire freelancers, overpay via a cheque or payment transfer, then ask for a refund of the surplus — leaving the freelancer liable when the original payment reverses.

Fake content agencies or clients post writing jobs, then charge applicants a registration, training, or 'style guide' fee before any work begins — after which they disappear or provide no actual assignments.

Fraudulent proofreading employers recruit applicants and charge them for a certification course or training material as a condition of employment — no actual proofreading work ever follows.

Fraudulent 'product testing' schemes promise free products and payment to consumers but charge upfront fees, harvest personal data, or deliver counterfeit goods while collecting real payment details.

Fraudulent transcription employers advertise easy home-based audio transcription work, then charge applicants for training or certification before providing any work — after which they disappear.

Scammers impersonate legitimate search and social media quality evaluation programmes, charging fake application or certification fees or collecting identity documents without ever providing paid work.

Fraudulent translation agencies recruit linguists with attractive per-word rates, then charge upfront fees for software, certification, or testing before vanishing or providing no actual work.

Fake literary agents charge reading and representation fees, and predatory 'hybrid publishers' sell thousands of dollars of packages — inverting the rule that in publishing, money flows to the author.

Fake "payment processor" jobs, or romance and social contacts, recruit you to receive money into your own bank account and forward it on for a cut — making you the traceable link in a money-laundering chain.

Overseas job offers for customer service, crypto, translation, or data-entry work that lure applicants abroad and traffic them into fortified compounds, where passports are seized and people are forced under violence to run online scams on victims worldwide.