Task scams (fake online jobs)

A “recruiter” offers easy money for liking videos or rating products. Early tasks pay small amounts; then you’re asked to deposit money to unlock bigger ones — and it never comes back.

What it looks like

How it usually ends

A task scam. The first tasks paid out small amounts — then 'premium tasks' needed your deposit. The 'recruiter' was an AI chatbot running thousands of chats.

Red flags

• Unsolicited job with outsized pay
• Script matches known task-scam template
• Number registered abroad, 3 days old

A real case

Seven people in Hertfordshire, UK, lost over £200k to fake recruiters and a task app that made them pay to receive their earnings (police alert, 2025).

What to do

• Real jobs pay you; they never ask you to pay to work.
• Be wary of job offers that arrive unsolicited on messaging apps.
• Check the company through its official website, not the recruiter’s links.

Could you spot it in the moment?

In Painted Sky you’re born at random somewhere on Earth and live a whole life — and this scam is one of the fakes that can find you. Make the call yourself, then replay the same life with a lens that shows what was fake.

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