FBI Warns of Rising Cryptocurrency Scams in Work-From-Home Job Offers

Be cautious if an employer asks you to send cryptocurrency to start your dream work-from-home job. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns that it’s likely a scam.

In a statement on June 4, the FBI highlighted a rise in work-from-home job advertisement scams.

Scammers contact potential victims with unsolicited calls or messages, offering simple jobs like rating restaurants or “optimizing” a service by clicking a button repeatedly.

Victims may believe they’re earning money as scammers direct them to a fake interface showing earnings, which can never be cashed out.

The scam intensifies when victims are asked to make cryptocurrency payments to the fake employer to “unlock” more work, with the payments going directly to the scammer.

“You are directed to make cryptocurrency payments to your employer as part of a job,” the FBI noted.

Red flags that may indicate a scam include job descriptions that excessively use the word “optimization” and those that do not require references during recruitment.

With the increasing popularity of the work-from-home lifestyle, more people are falling for these traps. According to Statista data, remote workers globally rose to 28% by the end of 2023.

READ MORE: The Biggest ‘Community Takeover’: How EOS Is Reinventing Itself Under The ENF

Remote workers also enjoy the freedom to choose their base locations.

In an interview with Cointelegraph Magazine, Dominic Frei, a crypto consultant based in Canggu, shared that he moved his family from Switzerland to Bali for a better lifestyle and climate.

This warning comes just months after the FBI released alarming statistics about crypto-related fraud in 2023.

On March 9, Cointelegraph reported that investment losses involving crypto rose from $2.57 billion in 2022 to around $3.94 billion in 2023, a 53% increase.

One of the most common crypto scams is the romance scam.

Here, a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust before persuading them to send crypto, only to disappear afterward.

To submit a crypto press release (PR), send an email to [email protected].