Got a freelance job offer on text? How to recognize a scam
Freelance job scams are on the rise in Canada amid increasing unemployment and a growing threat of cybercrimes targeting Canadians.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre issued an alert on Aug. 25, warning people of an increase in job opportunity fraud that could take advantage of those looking for work.
Scammers send an email or text offering freelance jobs to “boost” products, apps or videos, with the promise of payment in cheque, bank transfer or cryptocurrency, the CAFC said.
The offer will prompt victims to install software that enables fraudsters to send instructions on so-called tasks to complete.
“Victims might receive a small payment or commission in order to convince them that the job is legitimate,” the centre said in its alert.
Several variations of this type of fraud have been reported to the CAFC.
In one instance, victims are offered $300 to $500 per week to wrap their vehicles with a company logo.
Those who fall into this trap could end up with a counterfeit cheque that could end in the recipient losing money.
Scammers also target people who post their resumes online and offer different positions, including caregiver, data entry clerk, quality control officer, personal assistant, mystery shopper and financial agent.
Besides incurring financial losses, these scams also pose a risk of arrest for money laundering, the CAFC warned.
Last year, more than $530 million in financial losses were reported to the centre for various types of cybercrime and fraud, according to the RCMP.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security released a report Monday, saying that cybercrime activity “will very likely increase” in Canada over the next two years.
In particular, the agency categorized ransomware — in which digital files are held
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