At least $781,000 lost in job scams since April where victims were told to rate apps
A variant of the job scam has emerged with victims promised payment for rating apps, a ruse which has seen at least 43 victims lose about $781,000 since April, said the police on Tuesday (Aug 30).
Mid-year crime statistics released on Monday showed that job scams were responsible for more than $58 million in losses in the first six months of the year.
In the latest variant, victims were approached by scammers on online messaging apps, such as Whatsapp, and told they had an opportunity to earn commissions simply for rating apps.
After accepting the offer, victims were prompted to create an account using a website link, and to top up the account by transferring money into bank accounts maintained by unknown individuals.
The equivalent of USDT, a form of cryptocurrency,was then reflected in the victims' accounts.
Following this, victims were allowed to start rating apps, which cost some USDT each time.
When the cryptocurrency in the account was depleted, the victims were instructed to top up their account again with more cash.
At the start, victims were convinced of the legitimacy of the work, as they would be able to withdraw their earnings.
Eventually they realised they had been scammed when they could not withdraw their commission.
To avoid falling prey to such scams, police advise the public to never accept suspicious job offers that promises lucrative returns for minimal effort.
They should also not download apps from unverified sources, and avoid sending money to unknown persons.
A total of 14,349 scam cases have been reported this year, almost double the 7,746 cases reported in the same period last year.
Victims suffered $346.5 million in losses to all scams in the first half of this year, more than half of the $633.3 million lost in the whole of last year.
Those with information related to such scams are advised to call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit it online at this website.
For more information on scams, people can visit the Scam Alert website or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
