# Task scam

> A task scam (or gamified job scam) is a fake remote job built around simple, repetitive online tasks - rating apps, liking videos, 'optimizing' products, boosting orders. It pays small amounts at first to build trust, then traps you: to unlock higher earnings or withdraw your balance, you must deposit your own money, almost always cryptocurrency. The deposit is the scam.

Source: https://realjobcheck.com/glossary/task-scam/  
Updated: 2026-06-02 - Real Job Check Trust and Safety Research Team

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## What it is

The task scam is the fastest-growing job scam by report volume. The [FTC](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/new-ftc-data-show-skyrocketing-consumer-reports-about-game-online-job-scams) reported that these gamified job scams jumped from a few thousand reports in 2023 to around 20,000 in just the first half of 2024, making up roughly 40 percent of job-scam reports for the year. It is convincing because it pays you - at first.

## How it reaches you

You are recruited by text or on [WhatsApp or Telegram](/answers/recruiter-messaged-me-on-whatsapp-or-telegram/), added to a busy group chat of "coworkers" posting earnings, and pointed to a polished app with a rising balance. Early small withdrawals work, which converts your doubt into belief.

## The tell

At some point you must put your own money in to get money out - to "unlock" a tier, clear a "negative balance," or "release" a withdrawal. That deposit, usually in crypto because it is irreversible, is the entire scam. A real job never requires you to deposit to earn.

## What to do

Stop before any deposit; you have lost nothing yet. If you already deposited, do not add more to recover it - report to the [FTC](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) and the FBI's [IC3](https://www.ic3.gov/) and follow the [recovery checklist](/answers/i-already-gave-a-scammer-my-information/). Full detail: [is this remote task or data-entry job a scam?](/answers/is-this-remote-task-or-data-entry-job-a-scam/)