Beware of Gap Side Job Scams Targeting Women in Their 20s

“Just ‘Like” or “Send a stamp” on social networking sites in your spare time.

There has been an increasing number of cases nationwide where young people, after applying for high-paying “dark side part-time jobs” on the internet (SNS), have become involved in robberies. Meanwhile, more people, especially women, are falling victim to scams and other troubles after applying for “side job websites” targeting them.

These side job sites promise high-paying rewards for simple tasks like “just pressing ‘like’ on SNS,” “taking screenshots,” or “sending stamps.” However, after applying, people are instructed to transfer money for various reasons, but they end up not receiving the promised high rewards. The National Consumer Affairs Center has been receiving numerous consultations about these situations.

“Your mistake caused the entire team to lose” ⇒ Pay a processing fee of 150,000 yen.

In May of this year, a woman in her 30s, who was looking for side work while raising children, consulted the center. She applied through a messaging app for an advertisement that said, “Just watch video SNS.” Following the instructions, she completed tasks and earned a few hundred yen.

Later, she was introduced to higher-paying jobs, and was told that to take on the job, she needed to send money in advance. She was promised higher rewards based on the amount sent, so she registered on the app and transferred 10,000 yen to a designated account. For this task, she worked in a team of four to input data, and received an additional amount on top of the 10,000 yen, totaling several thousand yen.

Next, she paid 30,000 yen to input more data and was told, “Your mistake caused the entire team to lose,” and was asked to pay a processing fee of 150,000 yen. She sent another 300,000 yen and completed the task, but was then told that she needed about 700,000 yen to withdraw the rewards, which made her realize something was wrong.

The accounts she was instructed to send money to were mostly personal accounts under different names, and she ended up transferring all her living expenses there.

Another case involved a woman in her 20s, who also consulted the center in May. She had signed up for a job that involved taking screenshots of SNS for a few hundred yen in payment. She earned about 10,000 yen in a single day, and initially, payments were made. Later, she was told she made an operational error and paid 150,000 yen. She was then charged 300,000 yen for a task failure, and began to sense that something was wrong.

Another woman in her 20s also consulted the center in May. She registered for a job on an image-based SNS, where she had to increase video app view counts. She communicated through a messaging app. By taking screenshots of the video app at designated times and sending them, she received rewards in an app that acted like an online wallet. Occasionally, there were special tasks, and after transferring a certain amount of money, she received an additional reward.

At first, she was able to withdraw 10,000 yen from the wallet app. However, the withdrawal process became slower, and the procedures grew more complicated. Then, she was told she had made a mistake, and was promised that it could be recovered later if she paid 100,000 yen. She began to receive further bills under various pretexts and realized something was wrong.

The number of consultations to the National Consumer Affairs Center has surged drastically.

The number of consultations regarding troubles with side jobs that promise easy money has been increasing. According to the National Consumer Affairs Center, there were 3,694 cases last year, with approximately 64% triggered by SNS. In the current fiscal year, by the end of July, there were 950 cases, a sharp increase from 703 cases in the same period last year. Of these, around 70% were linked to SNS. The average contract purchase amount has also risen to approximately 1.06 million yen this year, up from around 760,000 yen last year.

The National Consumer Affairs Center has summarized consultations about troubles with side jobs from FY 2020 to the end of July this year by age and gender. According to this data, young generations, particularly women, are more affected than men. Women in their 20s accounted for 4,176 cases, significantly higher than other groups.

 

The National Consumer Affairs Center staff believe that young women are particularly targeted for these troubles due to the rising demand for side jobs during their free time.

“The need for side jobs is high among young women. When we look at the consultation cases, we see that some women, while staying at home and raising children, are also looking for work.

Through messaging apps, they are sometimes introduced to accounts impersonating women with children, and without suspicion, they get deeply involved.”

These young women may feel reassured by the presence of others who seem to easily earn money while taking care of children, even if those individuals are “fake” accounts (sakura). The staff believes that these tactics are meant to create the illusion that young women can easily earn money working from home, especially while raising children.

On the other hand, when looking at these problematic side jobs, the staff notes, “The nature of the work is often unclear, and many offer high rewards.” Initially, the work’s payment is made, but later on, they often find excuses to charge additional fees for mistakes or penalties, leading to a common pattern of fraud.

“Support fees,” “security deposits”. There have been damages amounting to 1.3 billion yen! Be cautious of secondary damage as well.

There have been cases where side jobs have led to criminal incidents.

In late November of this year, it was reported that a joint task force including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested 22 members of a fraud group for scamming people by offering jobs involving sakura on dating sites and tricking them into investing in cryptocurrency. The scam targeted around 3,000 people across the country, resulting in damages totaling about 1.3 billion yen.

The Kochi Prefectural Police, through their website “Kochi no Mamori,” listed a type of scam where victims are tricked into paying a “security deposit” under the pretense of a side job. The scam is often cleverly executed, and victims tend to realize they have been scammed only when the amount has escalated.

The Kochi Prefectural Police analyzed that the rise in interest in side jobs and the increasing number of companies recognizing side jobs have contributed to the surge in cases. They also noted that victims are not limited to elderly individuals, with a rising trend of young adults being affected. They urged caution, stating that advertisements exaggerating profits in high-reward side jobs are a potential sign of fraud.

Regarding side jobs during spare time, a Consumer Affairs Agency official remarked, “SNS-based scams change tactics and disguise themselves as opportunities to make money, leading people to deposit funds.” The agency warns people through their site “Beware of investment and side job ‘money-making schemes’ via SNS” to be skeptical when presented with offers of easy money and to consult consumer protection centers if any doubts arise.

The Consumer Affairs Agency further highlights the risk of secondary damage, where victims might be scammed again while trying to recover their losses. Some ads for legal professionals claim to help recover damages, but not all experts prioritize the victim’s needs, with some demanding high upfront fees without providing a solution.

The National Consumer Affairs Center advises: (1) Ads promising easy money or high profits could be scams. (2) Avoid disclosing personal information easily. (3) If you are asked to make payments instead of earning money, immediately consult with a consumer protection center.