We’ve all likely been inundated with employment scams, offering outrageous promises. As someone who has survived layoffs and experiences a constant anxiety about job security, I fully understand why people might fall for them in an effort to make quick money. These scams are often presented with enticing terms: work whenever you want, remotely, for however long you choose. Good workers are rewarded with ludicrous salaries and bonuses for minimal effort. It’s easy to get excited and dive right in.
Typically, when someone reaches out to me and I’m bored, I’ll troll them for entertainment, thinking that the more time they waste with me, the less time they’ll have to target others. But recently, I became curious about the mechanics of these scams. So, I decided to follow through and see how far it would go and where the scam would reveal itself.
Initial Contact
It started with a random Telegram message from someone named Anna. She was friendly, engaged in small talk about turtles, of all things, before segueing into the job offer. This is a classic social engineering tactic—building rapport to lower my guard. By discussing something benign like turtles, she was disarming me, making her pitch seem less suspicious.
After we finally agreed that turtles are indeed cool, she moved on to “verifying” that I was between the ages of 25 and 65 and lived in the U.S. This is another tactic: the illusion of a selective process, making me feel like I was specially chosen for this opportunity. Once verified, I was told that another recruiter would contact me soon. Anna, still maintaining the friendly facade, even promised to stay in touch and be my “friend” while I waited. Establishing trust, she laid the groundwork for me to be more receptive to the next steps.
The Final Contact
Two hours later, Amy reached out. The job offer was incredible—$50 an hour, $2,000 a week for just 30 minutes of work a day, and I could start immediately. Amy was helpful, answering my questions in a reassuring and professional manner. The scam began to take shape, using the brand of a legitimate company to bolster credibility. She sent me resources and information directly from the company’s website, all easily copied and pasted to make it seem legitimate.
Once I was sold on the idea, she directed me to a website to register. The registration process was simple—too simple. I needed a transaction password, account password, and phone number, but none of this information was verified. Within 30 seconds, I was registered. Red flag number one: any legitimate job would have more robust security measures!
The Scam
Once registered, I was shown a list of “transactions” that supposedly displayed other users earning between $30 to $250 and upgrading to various levels of “premium” membership. This is another common manipulation tactic, called social proof. By making it seem like other people are making money and advancing in the system, the scam attempts to create a fear of missing out while also driving excitement and anticipation. The more you deposit, the more you can “earn.” But, of course, the catch was that to begin making money, I had to deposit an initial amount—anywhere from $100 to $1,500 if I wanted to upgrade to a higher level of “premium”.
After registering, Amy asked me to provide an invitation code from my own profile, which confused me. Since I had already signed up with a code, I didn’t understand why I needed it again. Amy explained that I needed the code to attend training. Here’s where things got suspicious. I explored the website’s structure, but the icon I was supposed to click to retrieve the code wasn’t functional. This is where they apply pressure tactics: by creating artificial roadblocks and then offering a solution that requires financial commitment. When I couldn’t retrieve the code, Amy insisted I “top up” with $100 in capital to show that I was willing to work.
At this point, I began to push back, asking more detailed questions about the process. Amy remained persistent, offering fake reassurances and using emotional manipulation to keep me engaged. When I provided her with a fabricated invitation code—just to see what would happen—she claimed that if the code was incorrect, she would personally lose $100, pressuring me to give in. This appeal to sympathy is a common tactic, making me feel guilty for doubting her or causing her harm.
When I confessed that I knew it was a scam, Amy’s tone immediately shifted. She began verbally insulting me, calling me “stupid” and saying I “have no brain.” This escalation is another manipulation technique designed to throw victims off balance. By attacking my intelligence and self-worth, she hoped I’d react emotionally and cave in to the pressure.
Social Engineering Tactics at Play
This entire experience highlights several key social engineering strategies:
- Building Trust Through Rapport: The participation in my conversation about turtles wasn’t random. It was an attempt to establish a friendly connection to lower my guard, making me more likely to believe in the legitimacy of the offer.
- The Illusion of Exclusivity: Scammers often create a sense of the target being selectively chosen, offering jobs that seem tailor-made, which creates a false sense of opportunity.
- Pressure Tactics: From the get-go, there was an implicit urgency to comply with their demands quickly. Whether it was the need to deposit capital to begin training or the guilt over potential losses, the goal was to push me into a decision without time to think critically or research.
- Leveraging Social Proof: By showing me fake transactions from “other users,” they created the illusion that the opportunity was legitimate and successful for others, making it seem like I’d be foolish to pass it up.
- Emotional Manipulation: Insults and guilt were used as weapons. When the scam was threatened, Amy tried to manipulate me emotionally by calling me names, questioning my intelligence, and suggesting I would fail without the “opportunity.”
Conclusion
In the end, these scams play on human psychology. They exploit fear, insecurity, and the desire for quick success. For those who are anxious about their financial security, it’s easy to see how one might get swept up. The pressure, combined with well-executed social engineering tactics, makes it harder to see the red flags until it’s too late.
The site, upon further inspection, was a one-way street. You deposit money, but any attempt to withdraw was blocked by a fake “withdraw” button. While this scam might seem obvious to some, the calculated tactics employed here show how skilled these scammers can be at creating a false sense of security, urgency, and success.
Stay vigilant, ask questions, and always trust your instincts.