Hello and welcome to the Scam Logs, where we inform you of new and devious scams in the crypto space so you can better avoid them.
Today, we’ll look at a scam that’s counter-intuitive, and attacks from a different avenue than some of the others. This time we’re going to cover the fake job scam.
This scam can be done in many ways and is not specific to crypto—but has arisen here as well.
The scam works on a few simple facts of life:
- Most people need a job.
- To get a job, you generally must give your employer personal data.
Like most modern scams, they do a lot to seem legitimate. They create fake websites, fake accounts, and will seem like a real career opportunity.
In the crypto space, they offer such types as selling various coins, finding people to invest, or even converting crypto into other currencies.
Then comes the tricks. They’ll ask for banking data, personal I.D., social security number, etc. They may ask you to pay some upfront money or deposit currency and then move it to a “client.”
You can guess what happens next. With information like that, they can do a lot of damage, and steal all manner of things. Once a scammer has something like a person’s I.D., they can ruin them in various ways.
So, how do you avoid this one? Well, you can’t avoid it exactly, but you can take preventive measures. If you need a job, you’ll need to go through various channels to acquire one—and they will be hanging around the same area—but you can spot warning signs.
Some of the more obvious defenses are simply being critical of business opportunities that seem pie in the sky, or too easy. They’ll accept your application too fast or offer to pay above what you would expect from the position or size of the purported company. They also might try to hire you without even meeting you properly.
The next step in defending against them is to investigate the “company.” Do they exist? Are they faking being some other company? A scam can fake a lot—but they can’t fake everything. Look for discrepancies. Crypto companies are admittedly more online than a traditional business might be—and thus there may not be an office building you can visit—but still get in your due diligence. Make calls to people, find others who supposedly work at the company, and check to see if they’re even real. Keep digging. That’s the safest bet.
Now, having read this, you might be thinking that scams are just so devious, so hard to avoid, that it’s dangerous to even go online. And while scammers are always trying new tricks, being observant, informed, and cautious can help keep you out of their traps. The Scam Logs exist as another arrow to your quiver in that endeavor—so keep yourself prepared and come back soon.
