Job Scams

These scams often involve potential applicants receiving unsolicited job offers via messaging apps, social media, etc. Very often, potential “employers” would offer applicants high-paying jobs that require little effort. Job scams can come in many forms and some variants are:

Affiliate Marketing
In this version, scammers will offer “Affiliate Marketing” jobs where victims are asked to help boost sales of sellers by paying for products in advance in return for commissions. Such payments are often made to private bank accounts.

Using Personal Bank Accounts 
In this scam, scammers will offer jobs that require applicants to do the following in return for a small commission:-
a) Processing fund transfers by receiving money into their personal bank accounts and then transferring the money out through online banking or money transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram
b) Open bank accounts using their names for a business, or  
c) Receive a donation into their personal bank accounts and assist to deposit the money into a crypto kiosk. 

Assistant Purchasers
In another variation of this scam, scammers place online job ads for assistant purchasers, stock takers or participants for a system trial on popular classified websites like Gumtree. Participants are asked to reveal personal details like their names, IC numbers, phone numbers, phone security codes and one-time passwords (OTP). Information like this allows scammers to access your mobile phone lines to purchase online credits.

Male Social Escorts
Yet another variant involves would-be male social escorts. Victims who respond  to such job ads are told they would be introduced to wealthy female clients, but only after they pay a registration fee. After payment, the scammers ask victims for other fees such as for insurance and membership before disappearing with the money.