Urgent warning over WFH job scams as victims lose THOUSANDS from ‘too good to be true’ offers

Job seekers are being cautioned about internet frauds that have cost victims thousands of pounds.

Fraudsters on social media are promoting a range of phony remote employment, including product reviews.

Investigators discovered that in order to release their earnings, targets are being instructed to make financial deposits.

However, victims lose out on thousands of dollars since the scammers never transfer the money, even after this initial payment.

Mother of one The 34-year-old Mihaela Lazar was defrauded of around 4,000 after replying to a job posting on Facebook.

In the lead-up to Christmas, the Andover hotel receptionist was eager to make some extra money working online.

“I feel really depressed, really upset, and angry with myself,” she added.

It was everyone’s, including my husband’s, our incomes, and our savings.

“I put my family in a situation where we don’t have any money and we are behind with the bills, the council tax, the electricity.”

In October, Mihaela replied to a job posting for a “product analyst” that said she could make money by writing reviews of refrigerators and televisions.

She was assured that she might receive up to 38 commissions each day for each review she completed.

And in a matter of days, she was compelled to pay $3,789 in a string of “investments” that never came to fruition.

She went on: “It was a little strange at first, and I didn’t trust it because I hadn’t used these products, so I thought it couldn’t be right.

“They compared it to an investment. If I were evaluating a $1,000 product and I had, say, 800 in my account, I would have to pay $200 in order to receive a hefty commission.

After joining a Whatsapp group with other “colleagues” who shared images of their impressive income, she finally realized it was a hoax.

This is a frequent strategy used by scammers, according to the National Fraud Helpline (NFH).

“When people are in need, scammers try to take advantage of them,” stated Martin Richardson, a senior partner at the NFH.

“People who need additional money for Christmas and the cost of living crisis make the ideal environment for scammers to operate.

“These unexpected employment offers via social networking sites appear to be increasing in frequency.

“They will often lure people in by initially paying them a small sum before saying they need to deposit money to release their wages.”