Description

My mother actually received the text about a job opportunity. She forwarded it to me. I reached out, skeptical of the nature of the work. It was straightforward and easy enough to learn. We were required to review items on Depop VIP, a platform claiming to be reselling designer goods, by completing 3 sets of 30 tasks. The “tasks” are tapping a button to give each item a 5-star rating, increasing the likelihood of a sale. We were told that this is a way of acquiring data for the platform to prove humans were reviewing the items and not bots. You cannot withdraw our earnings until all sets are complete. As a trainee, I was required to complete 1 set of 30 in a training account and 2 sets of 30 in my own. The initial red flag happened after I completed my first set of “tasks” in the training account. This earned me some money but I was expected to send $12 via PayPal to supplement the funds earned as the account must maintain a minimum balance of $100 to complete the work. I automatically said no. The scammer called me to persuade me into sending the funds. It was a woman and she told me her experience with the platform. She seemed trustworthy. Against my better judgment I went through with it. $12 is not a major loss. And at the end of that shift I had earned money. I was able to withdraw it and deposit it into my bank account. All seemed well. But each successive day had another hang up: 1) The crypto apps had regional restrictions in my state. 2) The apps had limits to how much I could send per day. 3) The “advanced orders” (large sales for which you must deposit additional funds but once completed will earn you 5-10x commission) that are considered rare by other users (0-2 appearances per set) were coming through regularly for me. I saw this as another red flag but I was invested now. Because once there was more money in my account, the products presented to me in the sets were of higher value. So when I received advanced sales they grew in price requiring more to be deposited. The only reason I sent the money I did today was because I received an “advanced order” on my 29th order of my 3rd set (the penultimate order of my last set of the day). If I made a deposit of $9k, I would be able to withdraw $19k, an earning of $10k. But once I made the wire transfer to Coinbase (the only way to move such a large sum to the only crypto wallet that works in my region), sent that money to the Depop VIP customer service and they added the $9k I sent to my work account balance. I went to process my final order and it was another “advanced order” and now they expect me to deposit $23k in order to complete the order. I just want my money back.