The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning Americans about “game-like online job scams” that get people to perform tasks with the promise of a continuous income stream — only to be duped into giving money to the scammer. The FTC says in the first six months of this year, these “task scams” have raked in over $220 million from victims, often in the form of cryptocurrency. It’s accounted for about 40 percent of all scam reports in 2024.

There were 20,000 reports of task scams in the first half of 2024, a sharp increase from only 5,000 from 2020-2023.

These scams often start with a WhatsApp or text message to a victim asking them to do tasks about “app optimization” or “product boosting.” Sometimes, the scammers initially pay small amounts of money to seem trustworthy. Afterward, they convince victims to pay into some tasks with the promise of a larger payout, and then the scammers run away with the money.

Image: FTC

These are the three tips the FTC listed to avoid getting scammed:

Ignore generic and unexpected texts or WhatsApp messages about jobs. Real employers will never contact you that way.

Never pay anyone to get paid. Someone telling you to pay money to get the money you have supposedly earned is a sure sign of a scam. No legit business would ever do that.

Don’t trust anyone who says they’ll pay you to rate or “like” things online. That’s illegal and no honest company will do it.