SINGAPORE: About S$20 million (US$15 million) have been lost by job scam victims since May this year, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Thursday (Jun 8).
There have been at least 1,399 victims in that time, the police added. The scammer will entice victims by offering them fake job opportunities that involve purchasing items on online platforms.
These victims will receive job offers through unsolicited WhatsApp or Telegram messages, asking them to participate in simple surveys or if they are interested in performing tasks such as “boosting ratings” of product listings for online merchants.
“Victims would be enticed by the rewards offered for the simple tasks and proceed to create accounts on fraudulent websites to earn more commissions,” said the police.
After victims received their initial payment and commission, they would be asked to make payments for more tasks.
In some cases, victims will need to give a good rating on a certain product listing and submit a screenshot of the review to the scammer through WhatsApp or Telegram.
The scammer will also send weblinks to victims and ask them to place orders for certain items. After they submit a screenshot of an order, they are instructed not to make payment via the website’s payment modes.
Instead, they are instructed to make payments to bank accounts provided by the scammers.