Game-like ‘activity scams’ stole greater than $220 million in six months

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning Americans about “game-like on-line job scams” that get folks to carry out duties with the promise of a steady revenue stream — solely to be duped into giving cash to the scammer. The FTC says within the first six months of this 12 months, these “activity scams” have raked in over $220 million from victims, typically within the type of cryptocurrency. It’s accounted for about 40 p.c of all rip-off reviews in 2024.

There have been 20,000 reviews of activity scams within the first half of 2024, a pointy improve from solely 5,000 from 2020-2023.

These scams typically begin with a WhatsApp or textual content message to a sufferer asking them to do duties about “app optimization” or “product boosting.” Sometimes, the scammers initially pay small quantities of cash to appear reliable. Afterward, they persuade victims to pay into some duties with the promise of a bigger payout, after which the scammers run away with the cash.

These are the three suggestions the FTC listed to keep away from getting scammed:

Ignore generic and surprising texts or WhatsApp messages about jobs. Real employers won’t ever contact you that manner.

Never pay anybody to receives a commission. Someone telling you to pay cash to get the cash you’ve got supposedly earned is a positive signal of a rip-off. No legit enterprise would ever do this.

Don’t belief anybody who says they’ll pay you to charge or “like” issues on-line. That’s unlawful and no trustworthy firm will do it.