The Government of Western Australia has issued an alert for students who are seeking jobs with flexible work conditions, such as working from home, who may call victim to a crypto currency scam.
Victims are lured into the scam through social media or encrypted message platforms like WhatsApp or Telegram, offering easy employment online with no experience needed and the added benefit of working from home.
The fake job requires people to perform various tasks for a commission, such as clicking on links to place fake reviews, or shopping online on various websites to bolster a business’ online profile.
However, to secure the job, victims are deceived into investing a substantial amount of money in crypto currency with the false promise of high returns.
Once a victim hands over personal identification to set up an account and invest a fee, they soon realise there won’t be any payment or promised return and the scammers then begin a harassment campaign for further payments.
How you can remain vigilant and protect yourself
- Be suspicious of job opportunities offered by unknown people on social media, message platforms and email
- Do your research on a business before engaging, including checking if there is a physical street address
- Protect your online identity and don’t hand over your personal identification to anyone you meet online
- Never provide payment upfront, especially by crypto currency which is not reversible – you should never have to pay a fee to secure employment or provide a service!
For more information on employment scams visit the WA ScamNet website where online scam reports can also be lodged. Enquiries can be made by calling 1300 30 40 54.
If you are a victim of an employment scam, report it to your financial institution, Australian Cyber Security Centre and IDCARE.
