The gamification of text scams skyrocketed in 2024, according to Federal Trade Commission data, contributing to consumers losing hundreds of millions of dollars to schemes they thought were going to pay them instead.
Over the last four years, the agency has been tracking a new breed of scams in which tricksters send text messages to victims offering to compensate them in exchange for completing a series of quick online tasks. The initial tasks and rewards are designed to hook victims, then the scammers demand a deposit before sending along the next batch of work, which, surprise surprise, never comes.
In 2020, the FTC didn’t receive any reports about these so-called task scams. Reports began to trickle in over the next few years to the tune of around 500 in 2021, 1,000 in 2022, and 5,000 in 2023. But this year, the task scam industry took off. During the first half of 2024, the FTC received more than 20,000 complaints.
The agency said consumers reported losing around $223 million to schemes involving fake jobs in the first half of 2024 and text-based swindles accounted for nearly 40 percent of those losses. By comparison, consumers reported losing just $90 million to job scams of any kind in 2020.
Task scams usually start with a text or WhatsApp message from an unknown sender about a vague job opportunity, according to the FTC. If the recipient responds, they’re told they can receive payouts in exchange for doing tasks related to “app optimization” or “product boosting.”
The schemes may seem especially tempting in a world where people do make money for microtasks like labeling AI training data and some victims told the FTC that they actually received payouts at the beginning of the schemes, leading them to think they’d found a legitimate job.
But after a victim is hooked, the sender requests a deposit before they’ll send along the next set of tasks, which will supposedly come with an even bigger payout. Usually, scammers request these payments in cryptocurrency, the FTC said.
To avoid falling victim to task scams, the FTC recommends that you ignore unexpected text or WhatsApp messages about job opportunities, especially offers to pay you in exchange for liking things online. Consumers should also never pay anyone as a prerequisite to getting paid themselves in exchange for work.
“Someone telling you to pay money to get the money you have supposedly earned is a sure sign of a scam,” the agency said. “No legit business would ever do that.”
