Warning over fake job scam as Nottinghamshire resident loses thousands of pounds

Nottinghamshire Police has received a number of reports in recent weeks – with one jobseeker losing more than £10,000.

The scam unravels over a prolonged period and begins when a social media user clicks on an advert for a remote working role.

They then receive a message and, over time, are coerced into signing up for a part-time job where they are required to complete tasks each day.

Examples of the tasks include posting false online reviews in order to diminish or boost a certain product’s rating.

The scam requires the targeted person to pay money to a crypto account, to ‘release’ the daily tasks, and then when 40 tasks are complete, payment for the work can supposedly be withdrawn.

However people have reported carrying out the tasks and then not being able to withdraw any funds as payment.

A man in his 40s, who lives in Nottingham, told officers he was coerced into paying over £10,000 to a crypto account in order to release the daily tasks.

He said he was told he’d be paid a much bigger sum of money after all tasks had been completed.

He contacted police after realising he’d been scammed and is being supported by our Cyber Protect team.

Cyber Protect officer Kirsty Jackson urged people not to fall for such scams.

She said: “These fake job scams can result in huge financial loss and we’re encouraging people to be vigilant.

“Furthermore, by responding to this type of job advert and following their instructions, you will likely be linked to money laundering activity and any banking facility you have could be closed down, by becoming linked to such criminal activity.

“I’d encourage job seekers to report any suspicious job advertisements to us, or if they feel it necessary, to make a report to Action Fraud.”

Job seekers are advised to adhere to the following advice.

Don’t trust any unsolicited contact, especially those via social media; seek your own job opportunities through genuine sources only, for example, the job centre; check official records to confirm that the organisation offering you the job exists, if it does, contact the organisation directly through officially listed contact details to confirm the job offer is genuine; check any documents for poor spelling and grammar – this is often a sign that fraudsters are at work and beware, too, if the employer or agent provides a webmail email address such as @Yahoo or @Hotmail as a point of contact.

If you have been scammed, incidents should be reported to Action Fraud in the first instance on their website, www.actionfraud.police.uk, or you can call 0300 123 2040 for advice.

You can also make a report to Nottinghamshire Police by calling 101 and quoting the Action Fraud reference number.

For more information on how to protect yourself online, please visit www.eastmidlandscybersecure.co.uk.