“Hello, you have been selected for an online part-time job, with a daily salary of R$500 – R$1000. Contact me via the link…” If you received a message similar to this one, promising remote jobs with high daily pay, be careful: it’s probably a scam attempt.
There are cases where the scheme is relatively simple. The scammer gets in touch announcing the selection for a vacancy, but asks for a payment, supposedly to take an entrance exam or a course necessary for the job. In more complex versions, the scam can involve pyramid schemes, manipulation of reviews on digital platforms, fraud and theft of money and data.
Fabio Assolini, senior security analyst at Kaspersky in Brazil, explains that it all starts with a message: “They are using all possible platforms. iPhone owners, and even on Telegram.”
Messages usually have a phone number or link to start a conversation, in which the user receives an address to register on a platform. “Most of these registrations have a code passed to the person, which is the affiliate code, to identify who the recruiter is and for him to receive a share”, reports Assolini. The analyst explains that whoever recruits people to the platform earns a value, increasing the reach of the scam.
After registering, the user is asked to make an initial transfer via PIX. “It’s a low amount, it can be R$ 20, for a physical account that you don’t know who it is from. And they promise that when you make this contribution you will receive this amount back and another commission, just for having registered.”
This step serves to gain the user’s trust: “They really comply with this agreement. You receive the first contribution and the commission, which can even double the amount sent”, says Assolini.
Once registered, the user receives daily tasks. “Within this platform, they ask you to simulate the purchase of a product and rate it with five stars, to receive the money contributed and another amount back.”
Assolini says the scheme uses gamification, that is, game strategies to motivate user engagement and participation. But, as the tasks are performed, larger contributions and more difficult tasks are requested, so that the scammers buy time and increase the number of recruits. At a certain point, when the platform has already received many registrations, the platforms are closed and people lose the money contributed.
In addition to the unreturned money, which the criminals keep when they close the platform, there are gains from the manipulation of product reviews, tasks performed by users as a condition of payment. “When you simulate the purchase, you give stars, in fact, you are manipulating reputations in online stores”, explains Assolini.
“This causes you to create an inflated and unrealistic number of sales, especially on marketplaces, and if a store has a very high number of five-star reviews or sales, the probability of the algorithm putting the product first in real searches is larger.”
HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE COUP?
Assolini recommends being wary of very generous offers sent by strangers. Even if the message includes the name of a well-known company, contact us through official channels to confirm the offer.
Maria Sartori, associate director of human resources consulting firm Robert Half, suggests going to the organization’s LinkedIn and checking if you have common connections with the company, who you can talk to for references.
She points out that admission exams are necessarily paid for by the company that is hiring. In addition, it is very rare to be required to carry out a vocational course on behalf of the professional during the selection process. “No candidate should ever shell out any kind of money to participate in a selection process,” she says.
Deputy Laércio Ceneviva Filho, from Deic (Cyber Crimes Division of the State Department of Criminal Investigations), from the Civil Police of São Paulo, adds: “If in doubt, look for the company itself and check the recipient of the requested payment. in the name of the company, never make any kind of payment.”
Falls. And now?
“If the person fell for the scam, we recommend that they immediately seek to register the facts at a police station or through the electronic police station, on the Civil Police website. If there is a suspicion of involving a criminal organization, contact the Cyber Crimes Division of Deic”, guides the delegate. “We from the Civil Police and Deic are able, once the occurrences are registered, to track this information and try to get to the author of the facts.”
Assolini says it is important for the victim to contact the bank and ask for reimbursement as soon as possible. “Scammers are short-sighted, so when they receive the value, they don’t leave it in the account for a long time.” He also suggests keeping an eye out for future contacts that may be made using the victim’s data.
WhatsApp recommends that people report inappropriate behavior directly in conversations, through the “report” option available in the app menu (menu > more > report). Users can also send reports to [email protected], detailing what happened with as much information as possible and attaching a screenshot.
HOW TO FIND RELIABLE JOBS?
Many companies use online platforms such as Gupy, Vagas.com and 99jobs to advertise jobs. Platforms such as LinkedIn can also serve as intermediaries, in addition to government initiatives, such as the Emprega São Paulo Portal, the São Paulo Work and Entrepreneurship Support Center (Cate) and the Emprega Brasil Portal.
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