“May nakita akong advert sa Facebook ng isang company na naghahanap ng bookkeeper dito sa Pinas. Parang ang gandang opportunity kaya nagmessage ako doon sa WhatsApp number na nakalagay. Ambilis ng reply nila, kailangan daw nila ng maraming work-from-home na mga staff,” [I saw an advert on Facebook from a company looking for bookkeepers from the Philippines. It sounded like a good opportunity, so I sent a message to the WhatsApp number on the ad. They replied straightaway, saying they needed a lot of work-from-home staff] shares Tinny.

Tinny works as an accountant in the Philippines. The WhatsApp message he received came from a Hong Kong number; the business had a very generic name, which initially made him a little suspicious. However, the prospect of working from home and earning up to USD 3,000 (~HKD 23,352) was too enticing to pass up.

“Nagpadala sila ng Employment Information Form sa WhatsApp at nag fill-up ako. Tapos binigyan ako ng mga tasks kailangan ko daw tapusin sa loob ng dalawang araw para makakuha ng USD 3,000. Natapos ko within two hours, napabilib naman sila sa bilis kaya sabi nila bigyan pa nila ako ng tasks para daw ako kumita pa ng marami,” [They sent me an Employment Information Form I had to fill up on WhatsApp. Then they gave me a bunch of tasks that I had to finish within two days for me to receive USD 3,000. I finished the tasks within two hours; they were so impressed they told me they would give me more tasks so I could earn more] Tinny says.

This is how these scammers keep their intended victims hooked: promises of monetary reward, praise, and the possibility of more and higher-paying work. They often have multiple people running the scam to make the company appear legitimate. 

“Pagkatapos ng task na binigay nila, tinanong ko kung paano ko makukuha iyong USD 3,000 na ipinangako nila. Sabi nila may magcontact daw sa akin na taga-finance department nila. Mayamaya, may nagmessage sa akin na nagngangalang Ms. Clara, kailangan ko daw mag-apply ng premium company ID card sa halagang PHP 2,000 (~HKD 270) para nakaregister na ako na empleyado nila at mabilis daw akong mababayaran kapag may ID na ako. Kaya nagtransfer na ako kaagad ng pera sa kanila,” [After I finished the task they gave, I asked how I would receive the USD 3,000 they promised. They told me someone from their finance department would contact me. Soon enough, a lady named Ms. Clara messaged and told me I had to apply for a premium company ID, which costs PHP 2,000 (~HKD 270), so I could become a registered employee to make the payment go more smoothly. So, I immediately transferred the money to them] Tinny says, shaking his head.

After numerous messages from the company requesting more money to unlock tasks, and refusing to send the ‘premium company ID’ until more money was paid, Tinny finally realised that he was being scammed. He promptly blocked all people who messaged him through WhatsApp and Messenger. “I know better now not to immediately trust these Facebook ads offering high salaries and commissions for remote workers. I will do my due diligence and check the legitimacy of the company first,” Tinny says.

How can we protect ourselves from these scammers? The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) suggests following these steps:

Don’t hastily believe promises of “easy money”.  Anyone claiming to offer hefty commissions for clicking likes, saving product items, or completing simple tasks is very likely a scammer

If you receive uninvited recruitment messages or get introduced to “good jobs”, use ADCC’s fraud detection tools, such as Scameter and CyberDefender, to check the authenticity of specific URLs, social accounts and phone numbers

Don’t make transfers or advance money. Scammers often ask victims for top-ups or advances for “unlocking tasks”.  Don’t transfer money to strange accounts, especially personal bank accounts, or disclose any of your financial information

If you suspect that you have fallen prey to a scam, please call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 18222 for enquiries.