Job & Task Scam: How It Works and How to Recover
Fake jobs that require deposits or commission top-ups to 'unlock' earnings. Also known as task scam, work-from-home fraud.
Free case assessmentHow the fraud works
Job and 'task' scams advertise easy remote work — rating products, 'optimising' apps, completing task sets — that appears to earn commission. To 'unlock' a withdrawal you must top up your own balance, and the demands escalate until you stop.
Warning signs
- Being paid to do trivial 'tasks'
- Needing to deposit your own money to continue
- A 'mentor' in a chat group urging top-ups
- Withdrawals blocked behind a bigger deposit
- Recruitment via an unsolicited message
Evidence to preserve
If you have been affected, gather:
- The platform/app and the group chats
- All top-up transactions (often crypto)
- Screenshots of your 'earnings' balance
- Recruiter and 'mentor' contacts
- Any contract or onboarding messages
How victims recover funds
The primary recovery route is crypto tracing & recovery. Crypto tracing follows funds across the blockchain from your wallet, through intermediary addresses, to the exchange or service where they are cashed out — producing an evidenced trail for that exchange and law enforcement.
Top-ups are usually crypto, so blockchain tracing to the cash-out point is the main route, supported by a regulator report. Prompt evidence preservation is essential.
Job & Task Scam recovery by country
Select your country for the local regulator, ombudsman and recovery routes: