Bad things happen when you’re broke. Thankfully, I was rescued from this scam by Reddit before things went too far. For anyone who has recently gotten a task-based job , here are some red flags to let you know to get out of there. I have attached as many print screens as I can to let you know the flow of the evil conversation you’re going to have with the scammer before they start the scam.

Offered a Task-Based online job

This will begin with you seeing an ad for a task based job online. It will promise relatively high pay meaning up to $300.00 per day for performing small tasks of some kind.

In my case, the ad was for a company called Remote Pro Plus offering very good pay for completing small online marketing related tasks. Telling you that the website is remotepro plus.com is kind of pointless because since this happened I have seen this scam pop up all over the place by other names. Also telling you that the fictional company used in the scam was Travel Tek is pointless because the fictional company goes by many names. The key is recognizing the steps in the scam so you will know how to recognize the scam when you’re job hunting.

The Recruitment Process

The application process involves filling out a form. You are asked during the application process if you have access to Whatsapp. This is mandatory. I filled out the form and provided my contact information. Next, I was contacted by a recruiter over Whatsapp. I was busy when they contacted me, and had to go out. So, I made an appointment to chat with the recruiter/ trainer later that evening.

Scam Crypto Job Red Flag #1: All your training is done via text over Whatsapp

The recruiter contacts you and begins telling you about the company. Then the recruiter immediately begins training you over Whatsapp. All the time you are wondering, “Why are you training me via text? Can I hear your voice? Should we be doing this over zoom or Microsoft Teams?” That is what you are thinking in your head but you don’t say anything because you are broke and you need this job.

Scam Crypto Job Red Flag #2: The business model and the marketing service they provide doesn’t make any sense.

The trainer began by first giving me an overview of the company called TravelTek that I would be working for. She explained that they provided marketing services by boosting their flow rate data.

How this works is you visit the traveltek website. You see a destination. You click a drop down menu and this menu has a list of about 5 reviews to choose from. You select one of the reviews and add it to the destination . This somehow sends volume to the travel agency, whatever that means.

At this point, you start thinking, “Oh I have a job doing fake reviews. I must be helping these travel companies by making sure that they are constantly in the public eye and whenever they come up in google search people see terrific reviews.”

But then that’s not quite it because you only have 5 reviews to choose from. So you just keep choosing one of the same 5 reviews over and over for each destination that comes up.

I was told that my training would involve doing a round of 38 practice reviews. Then I would be fully trained to start working the next day.

An example of one of these drop down reviews that you choose is below. “Love the rooms. Staff are kind and professional.”

As you go along, your instructor continues the training by sending various helpful print screens, pointing out how you can earn money and also increase the amount of money you earn.

Scam Crypto Job Red Flag #3: You are doing nonesense work

At one point I noticed that the reviews didn’t really match the products. For example I was getting mostly tours, but the reviews were for hotels. So I didn’t feel comfortable clicking, “Love the rooms” for something that was a walking tour.

When I enquired about this, I was told, “Travel is different meaning for different people.”

So, what I mean by nonesense work is saying that a walking tour was a great hotel. The fact that the fake reviews didn’t even match the product should have been a gargantuan red flag.

However, you just sit there and think to yourself, “Well, I’m not actually writing fake reviews, I’m just selecting completely ridiculous reviews from a drop down menu, so it’s not so bad.

Scam Crypto Job Red Flag #4: How they set you up to accept the crypto scam later

During your training, each time you do a review for a reservation, you see money being added to your account. More and more money is being added and you start to see how easy it will be to earn $300 or more per day. But part way through. Something goes wrong.

You click on a reservation and instantly your account goes into the negative.

You are told that this happens with large package deals. You are told that this has to be fixed through customer service. They have to recharge your account. But there’s a plus. It temporarily knocks you out but the commissions on these are huge.

This $1499 package that knocked out my balance temporarily is an example of one of those large travel packages.

So you ask your trainer, what happened and she explains that this happens once in a while with certain high priced bookings. To fix it you have to contact customer service and recharge your account.

She goes through the entire customer service procedure for fixing this negative balance with you.

She provides helpful screenshots and print screens to guide you through how to go through customer service to recharge your account because customer service seems to be taking a while to reply to you.

Now you’re just training. But at least now you have been trained on what to do if this negative balance thing happens in a live environment. You now know how to get customer service to assist you in recharging the account. You continue.

I didn’t realize it at the time but I now know that this is how they prepare you to accept the crypto scam. By introducing this negative balance and the customer service scenario for how to fix it, they prepare you for the fact that sometimes your wonderful balance will go down and you will have to recharge. It’s all perfectly normal.

Nothing special. Just recharge it and immediately go back to filling up your account with money.

At this point,the trainer introduces you to your other coworkers and a group chat that you will be part of after you start working. Your group chat is called Liberty104 and then a coworker from the group starts talking to you after you join. The first coworker you meet is super friendly, asks you about yourself and seems like a great person that you’re going to be working with.

In the middle of meeting your coworkers, you still have a few questions about how this negative balance and fixing it thing works.

But your questions are kind of offset by the fact that this little problem is a blessing in disguise. This negative balance thing only happens with large high-commission packages. This means that even though you thought the job was only going to pay 200-300 per day, once in a while with these mega bonus travel bookings your daily payout could be huge.

Just fix the customer service issue with the negative balance and get back to piling money into your account.

Scam Crypto Job Red Flag #5: They mention that they need to pay you by Crypto.

After you’re done with your fake training, selecting fake reviews and the fake customer service support, the Instructor guides the conversation over to paying you via crypto.

This should immediately be a red flag because earlier in the conversation you were told that you would be paid via etransfer, paypal or Koho.
When you mention that you’ve never used Crypto in your life and ask why the payment has to be via Crypto, you are given an explanation that has something to do with your payment being in USD. So you begin opening an account at their preferred Crypto service which is called Kraken.

I opened a Crypto account, for the first time in my life.

I started opening the Crypto Account. Fortunately for me it was taking a while to verify my identity. Thankfully.

She waits patiently while you set up your crypto account.

Reddit saved me from going any further with this task-based Crypto scam

Then I went over to Reddit and elsewhere online and read up on task based crypto scams and found out how this scam would end. The scam ends with them asking you to fund these “recharges” with your crypto account. Then they drain out your crypto account.

Here are some examples of how the reel you in and convince you to recharge your account on reddit.

Reddit Example #2 of the Crypto Task Scam

Reddit Example #3 of the Crypto Task Scam

Reddit Example #4 of the Crypto Task Scam

You will constantly be using this recharge button seen in the print screen below.

I sent my last whatsapp message declining the position and went to bed very very thankful for Reddit.

If you are offered any job where the employer insists on paying you in crypto, run!

It is not a real job. It is not real work. It is not a real business. It is only intended to drain you dry and scam you.

Times are hard. Desperation may make you feel like this is the only job you can get. It isn’t the only job you can get because it isn’t a real job.

There is nothing real about it.

it is not the best you can do right now.

It is actually not an option at all because it isn’t real. It’s only purpose is to get you to open a crypto account or get into your existing crypto account and then empty it out.

Keep looking for something else.

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