Online work scam

Police Scotland’s North East Crime Reduction Unit is warning the public following a recent "task scam" where a local resident lost thousands of pounds. 

After registering with a genuine employment agency, the victim was contacted via text by fraudsters posing as recruiters from a different company. They offered flexible remote work promoting hotels online, promising a base salary plus commission.

The fraud operated as a "task scam." The victim was instructed to use a cryptocurrency platform and a finance app to deposit their own money to "unlock" tasks and increase their commission rate. At first, the fraudsters allowed a small withdrawal to build trust. However, as the victim completed more tasks, the system forced them into higher tiers, demanding increasingly larger deposits to proceed. When the victim attempted to withdraw their earnings, customer service invented "verification issues" and "VIP upgrades," demanding thousands of pounds more to release the funds.

To spot and avoid this type of employment scam, look out for these red flags:

Legitimate employers will never ask you to pay your own money, deposit cryptocurrency, or make bank transfers to secure a job, unlock tasks, or receive your wages.

Be highly suspicious of job offers that arrive out of the blue via text message or WhatsApp, especially if they claim to have got your details from an agency you recently joined.

Watch out for high-pressure tactics or platforms that require you to complete a set number of online tasks or "orders" before you can claw back your own deposited funds.

If you are looking for work, always verify the recruiter through official company channels. If an online job requires you to pay to get paid, stop immediately and contact your bank. 

Report to Police Scotland directly by calling 101 or online via Contact Police Scotland - Police Scotland Every report assists police investigations, provides intelligence, informs national alerts that protect all communities, disrupts criminals and reduces harm.

In the UK you can forward scam text message to OFCOM on 7726 (free of charge), and forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk

#northeastcrimereduction

This messaging system is not for reporting crime as responses are not monitored 24/7.  If you have time-critical information regarding the content of the above message, or if you wish to report any other non-urgent matter, please call 101.  In an emergency, call 999.

Police Scotland's North East Division covers rural and urban areas in Moray, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.  The division has five territorial command areas which have their own dedicated Area Commander, who is responsible for the daily policing function.  Each command area is served by a number of community policing teams whose activities are built around the needs of the local community.  These teams respond to local calls and look for long term solutions to key issues.  They are assisted by the division's Crime Reduction Unit who deliver against Force and local priorities in a number of areas, including physical and social crime prevention, supporting and enhancing community engagement and creating and sustaining strong and effective partnership working.