How many of us have seen advertisements that promise an opportunity for extra income online? We are all being bombarded with these advertisements on regular basis. Often they appear on internet sites that are credible and the credibility of a site stands to lure unsuspecting consumers into seeing such advertisements as legitimate. However, some of them are simply money-making scams that should be criminally punishable. Recently, my curiosity got the better of me and I put one of these scams to a test with an outcome that not only put to rest any doubts I entertained about the legitimacy of the advertisements, but also revealed the magnimity of the danger of a loosely regulated or unregulated online advertising.
Courting with the scammers
I saw an advertisement for "work from home opportunities". The opportunity advertised was for "data entry jobs". What interested me was that there were at least four advertisements for "data entry jobs" that proclaimed to be from companies based in four different South African provinces (Eastern Cape,Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng). What caught my attention was that the wording of the advertisements was exactly the same. This could mean that there was one company that was operational in all these provinces and sought to increase its staff or that these were different companies offering the same opportunities. Dismissing the latter possibility as unlikely, I courted with the former but was disturbed by the silence of each advertisement about the others. Shouldn't there have been some indication that they were related or shouldn't they have been in one advertisement with indication that the applicant could choose to be in any of the provinces? Further, it interested me that location was so important for an online service. If everything was to be done online, why referral to location?
I chose one of the advertisements and asked for further details. The job detail, among others, provided:
"All that we ask of you is to type a few short lines of data text, and post to the sources we suggest. This is also called a copy and past job. Once that is complete, hit the enter key and you are done. Yes, it is that simple. The more data you type, the more money you can make. With this program we will teach you everything you need to know on how, and after you complete our training we will have you submitting data in 10 minutes or less. We will show you many tips to assure your success.
You will gain acess to companies dealing in categories from Business, Health, Sports, Culture, Home & Society, Family, Software, Employment and much more".
There was a provision made for one to apply. I applied and supplied my details.Within a period of twenty four hours I received an email showing that I needed to deposit money for a training package. I deposited the amount into the banking account provided and immediately received the "training package". The "training package" explained:
How the "business" worked. It was a detailed information showing how I should write my advertisements,
Where to advertise,
Testimonials from people who made money through the "business", and
How to make people pay me.
As I had suspected there was nothing about the work advertised. In other words, there was no room in this "business" for the employee to enter data as the advertisement promised. To sum the "business" up, my job was to recruit more people to join by promising them a data entry job as a "work from home" opportunity. Once they pay me, I would send them the material that I received from the person who recruited me. The new recruit can go on and lure new people into the scam.
Law enforcers not interested in charge
Having received this information, including my proof of payment to my recruiter, I went to the local police station to lay a charge. My mission was unsuccessful as the police did not take it seriously and ridiculed me for my gullability. Understandably, they saw me as a greedy person who was bitter because I had been conned of my money. "You just have to be careful in the future", one of the officers admonished me. My argument as to the criminal nature of this activity and the stance of their seniors on the crime did not pursuade them. My fight to lay a charge, however, is a smaller aspect of the bigger question as to how society tolerates a criminal activity such as this. In a country like South Africa, where unemployment stands at such high a rate as 22%, allowing scams like this to flourish makes the poor vulnerable to abuse and subverts efforts to grow the economy.
It has to be acknowledged that there are legitimate data entry job opportunities, but what tools are there for an innocent, unsuspecting and/or ignorant person to know the difference? Is it not time for action to be taken against these scams? What efforts are the legitimate data entry job companies making to ensure that the credibility of their industry is not tarnished further and/or eroded?
Signs of the scam
There is a saying to the effect that "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". The extent of the ease and speed with which you can make money, if promised by the advertisement, should immediately ring warning bells. Chances are, if it is a scam, you will be asked for money under some false pretence such as for administrative expences, training, etc. Another useful sign to look for is whether the people or company behind the "business" are contactable or can be checked out for credentials. In the case discussed above, there was a directive not to contact them by phone but strictly by email. There are probably many signs to look out for, but these are the most obvious.
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