Scammers often lure unsuspecting victims with unsolicited messages, offering seemingly legitimate “job opportunities.”
SINGAPORE: Chris was initially doubtful when he received a WhatsApp message about a seemingly simple part-time job promising to earn him a few hundred dollars a day.
However, the 23-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, believed he was tech-savvy enough to avoid falling for scams. Curiosity led him to inquire further, a decision he now regrets after losing more than S$300,000 of both his and his mother’s savings in just five days last November.
On November 18, Chris was offered a position involving the “purchase” of goods online to artificially boost the sales and ratings of e-commerce sellers.
The scammer, identifying herself as Dorris, added Chris to a WhatsApp group with about 10 others, who he now believes were either fellow scammers or victims. At the time, he assumed they were just like him, looking to make extra money on the side.
“They would keep asking in the group, ‘Is this a scam?’” Chris said. “So I thought they were just like me. They even sent photos of their daily lives.”
The group members shared tips about the job, food photos, and lighthearted banter, making the chat seem genuine, as shown in screenshots provided to CNA.
Chris researched the company online, finding what appeared to be a legitimate website. Though no one answered when he called the listed number, he was still uncertain.
Dorris eventually offered to let him use her account and funds for the initial “purchases.” Payments were sent to various bank accounts, which she claimed belonged to the merchants. The company then reimbursed Chris for the payments and added a commission.
Once Chris became more comfortable, Dorris asked him to create his own account and invest his own money. The purchases began to grow in value.
As conversations in the chat continued, with members casually discussing their lives and sharing screenshots of supposed earnings, Chris found himself increasingly convinced it was legitimate.
He received his first payment of S$1,670 after completing a few transactions, further solidifying his belief that the scheme was real.
Initially, transactions were small, averaging about S$10. But soon, he was “purchasing” expensive items, including appliances like refrigerators. The highest-priced item he was offered was a Rolex watch worth S$80,000.
The scammers promised higher commissions and bonuses if Chris invested more money, warning that his account would be frozen if he didn’t complete a certain number of transactions.
After about 30 transactions, Chris had depleted his own savings and turned to his mother, asking her to transfer money on his behalf.
Chris showed CNA screenshots of the money he transferred, totaling more than S$300,000, to various local bank accounts. He also shared the police report he filed on November 22, detailing the numerous transactions, with amounts ranging from less than S$100 to more than S$116,000.
Chris said his motivation was to earn extra income to help cover his 88-year-old grandmother’s medical expenses.
Each time he sent the scammers money, they demanded more, offering bonuses and threatening to freeze his funds unless he completed more transactions.
Eventually, Chris realized it was a scam and reported it to the police.
When he confronted the scammers, informing them that he had filed a police report and wanted his money back, they mocked him.
“I never thought something like this could happen to me, but I was wrong,” Chris said. “It can happen to anyone.”
The police confirmed that a report was lodged, and investigations are ongoing.
SCAM VARIATION INVOLVING MOVIE TICKETS
On January 19, the same day CNA spoke to Chris, this reporter received a message on Telegram about a “new Position offer.”
Rather than asking me to buy goods, the scammer proposed buying movie tickets to boost box office numbers.
The scammer provided a link to a website mimicking a legitimate digital marketing company, which had since posted a warning on its website about its name being used in a scam.
New users were given free credits to earn commissions without having to invest money.
After responding to the message, I was added to a chat group with nine others. Messages welcoming me to the group were quickly sent.
One member even invited another to dinner, but the reply was: “Next time, working late a bit, earn more income.”
A member named Ryan messaged me separately, asking for personal details like my age and occupation. He claimed he earned S$5,000 to S$6,000 monthly with this “job.”
When I asked members individually if the offer was a scam, they all denied it. One said they had been working for 11 months and told me, “You’re the first to doubt our platform.”
Another simply replied, “siao,” meaning “crazy” in Hokkien.
I stopped interacting with the scammers when they requested my bank details, supposedly to transfer my commissions. Hours later, I was removed from the group.
TYPES OF JOB SCAMS
According to scamalert.sg, job scams usually begin with unsolicited offers via messaging apps or social media. These scams come in various forms, including “Affiliate Marketing” scams, where victims are asked to boost sellers’ sales by paying for products in advance in exchange for commissions. Payments often go to private bank accounts.
Other scams involve victims processing fund transfers, opening bank accounts, or receiving donations into their personal accounts for a commission.
Some scams advertise jobs like assistant purchasers, stock-takers, or system trial participants on websites like Gumtree. Victims are asked for personal details and security codes, which scammers use to access their phone lines and purchase online credits.
Another type of scam involves ads for male escorts, with applicants promised wealthy clients after paying registration, insurance, or membership fees. Scammers disappear after collecting the money.
Police statistics show job scam losses rose dramatically, reaching S$6.5 million in the first half of 2021, compared to just S$60,000 during the same period in 2020. The number of job scams surged over 16 times, from 40 cases in early 2020 to 658 by mid-2021.
Overall scam cases have also been on the rise. In December alone, nearly 470 people were tricked by SMS phishing scams involving OCBC, with total losses exceeding S$8.5 million.
