Paid to like videos, then asked to pay to "unlock" your earnings

If a job pays you to do simple tasks in an app and then asks you to deposit money to keep going or withdraw your earnings, it's a task scam. The FTC is blunt: "no matter what the system says you've earned, you didn't. That money isn't real" (FTC).

What it looks like

An unexpected WhatsApp message or text offers flexible online work with no specifics. The "tasks" are simple and repetitive: liking videos, rating product images, "product boosting" or "app optimization". An app shows commissions adding up, often in sets of forty tasks, and small early payouts build trust. Then you're told to "charge up" your account with a deposit to finish the next set or release what you've earned.

Why it works

The FTC says these schemes are "designed to hook you": the app makes fake earnings look real, and stopping feels like losing them. When people hesitate, they're added to group chats full of fake success stories. The FTC reported about 20,000 task-scam reports in the first half of 2024, against about 5,000 in all of 2023, and job-scam losses above $220 million in that half-year, with crypto the payment method people reported losing most to.

Red flags

A job offer you didn't apply for, by text or WhatsApp.
Pay for liking, rating or "boosting" things.
Any deposit to unlock tasks or withdraw earnings.
Payment in crypto, and a group chat of cheerful "colleagues".

What to do

Ignore unexpected job messages. The FTC notes real employers don't recruit this way.
Never pay to get paid. A job that needs your money isn't a job.
If you've paid, stop, report it to ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US) or your local equivalent, and contact your bank or exchange.
Beware of "recovery" services that promise to get your money back for a fee; they're often the next scam.

Questions people ask

I've already been paid small amounts. Doesn't that prove it's real?

No. The FTC describes small early payouts as part of the hook, to build trust before the deposit request.

What if the company name is a real brand?

Scammers borrow real brand names. Check job openings on the company's own careers page, found by searching yourself.

Can I check a job message?

Paste it into the free scam checker. It flags deposit-to-unlock requests and unsolicited job offers.