Be Wary of Suspicious Job Offers: A Scam Alert for WhatsApp Reviews and Currency Trading

Have you received any messages on WhatsApp about a job offer to post reviews for companies in exchange for payment? Or have you been approached to engage in currency trading as part of a review gig? If so, you should consider these as potential scams. Below, I'll provide a detailed account of such fraudulent activities and the dangers they pose to both your financial well-being and personal security.

Identifying Scams on WhatsApp

By its very nature, any job offer that involves writing reviews in exchange for payment is highly suspicious and likely unethical. Ad hoc job opportunities advertised via WhatsApp are almost always fraudulent. If a company seeks to hire someone to produce fake reviews, it tarnishes not just the credibility of the company, but also the persons involved. Employers and workers alike who engage in such practices risk being labeled unethical and corrupt.

Furthermore, any legitimate job presented through WhatsApp or other instant messaging platforms is highly unlikely. In our increasingly digital world, most legitimate employment opportunities are advertised through reputable job boards, company websites, or through established social media channels.

The Scam Methodology

The scammer's tactics are meticulous and designed to exploit trust and greed. Here’s a typical sequence of events:

Step 1: Initial Attraction

They will ask you to write reviews for restaurants or shops, offering modest payments to attract attention. These payments, often around 30-90 Rs, can escalate to 90-300 Rs for initial reviews.

Payments are usually sent directly to your bank account or UPI, creating an illusion of legitimacy.

Step 2: Introduction to Currency Trading

After gaining your trust, the scammer will guide you through downloading and using a currency trading application. The outline is as follows:

Initial Round: They will ask you to either buy or sell currencies to generate a small profit. This profit ranges from 100-1000 Rs.

Subsequent Rounds: To extract more money, they will request you to repeat the process, increasing the investment requirements. For example, a second round might require spending 1000-10,000 Rs.

Once you have made these investments, the scammer will claim that these trades have generated profits and entice you to complete additional rounds to ensure a larger payout.

Step 3: Increased Investments and Loss of Control

Increasing Investments: As you continue to be encouraged to invest more, the amounts escalate. For instance, the third round might ask for 40,000-70,000 Rs.

Profit Guarantee: They will claim that you will earn profits by following their advice, which can lead you to invest even more.

However, once you have invested a significant amount, the scammer takes control:

Step 4: Traps and Withdrawal Issues

Rules and Regulations Trap: The scammer will introduce a set of rules and regulations that seem legitimate but are actually fictitious. They might claim that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or their own internal policies prohibit immediate withdrawal of funds.

Complex Withdrawal Process: They will provide complex withdrawal rules that would trip up an untimely user, making it difficult for you to access your funds. For example, they might instruct you to withdraw small amounts (3,000-5,000 Rs) within 20 minutes, a process that can be easily manipulated to delay or block your transactions.

Forced Investments: If you try to withdraw, they will demand that you invest an additional large sum (40,000-70,000 Rs) to "unlock" your funds.

Legal Precedent: Those who follow all their rules and claim the funds may find themselves caught in a new set of rules the following day, leading to further investment requirements.

This staggering level of deception is designed to ensnare you and extract more and more money from you.

Case of Personal Loss

A personal friend of mine fell prey to this scam and has lost a significant chunk of 50,000 Rs. The process unfolds as follows:

They are approached with initial low-income opportunities, and once trust is established, the scammer moves to more lucrative but fraudulent schemes.

Each round of currency trading is manipulated to lock you in, making it impossible to withdraw funds. Legal avenues are complicated, as evidenced by my friend's experience, where he lacks the evidence or legal support to challenge the scam.

It is crucial to be vigilant and report such activities to the appropriate authorities to help prevent others from falling into similar traps.

Protecting Yourself from Scams

To avoid falling into such traps, here are some tips:

Be wary of unsolicited job offers on WhatsApp or other instant messaging platforms.

Verify the legitimacy of job offers through other means, such as company websites.

Avoid any requests for upfront payments or additional fees.

Select reputable job boards and apply through official channels.

Report suspicious activities to the relevant authorities and warn your friends about potential risks.

By staying alert and protecting your personal information, you can avoid the pitfalls of these schemes. Stay informed and stay safe.