43 people lost $781,000 to job scam requiring prepayments to rate apps

At least 43 people lost a total of at least $781,000 since April to a scam where victims participated in jobs requiring prepayments to rate applications, said police.

Scammers would reach out to victims via online messaging applications such as WhatsApp and inform victims that they could earn commission by rating applications.

Once victims agree to the job offer, they would be provided with a website link to register an account and instructed to top it up by transferring cash into bank accounts maintained by persons unknown to them.

After the cash transfer, the equivalent USDT (a form of cryptocurrency) would be reflected in the victims’ accounts, and they could then start rating the applications.

Rating an application would cost victims some USDT, and once the account of the victims depletes, they would be instructed to top up their account again by transferring cash to another unknown person.

Initially, victims would be able to withdraw their commissions, which convinced them that the work was legitimate. However, victims would later discover that they were unable to withdraw their commission and realise they had been scammed.

You are advised to adopt the following precautionary measures:

• Do not accept dubious job offers that offer lucrative returns for minimal effort.
• Never download applications from unverified sources.
• Never send money to anyone whom you do not know or have not met in person before.

If you have information related to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. Please dial "999" if you require urgent Police assistance.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688.