``You can easily earn money with your smartphone'' ``You can earn up to 1 million yen a month!''
Advertisements that invite you to take up a side job appear on social media.
I tried clicking on it and was relieved that I was actually making money, but before I knew it, I had been scammed out of my money. Such troubles have been occurring one after another this year.
What are the techniques used to skillfully move people's hearts?
(Chiharu Kinukawa, a reporting team that won't be fooled by digital technology)
If you think you can actually make a profit...
Chisato (pseudonym) is a 19-year-old university student living in Tokyo.
This January, she was browsing Instagram when an ad caught her eye.
I was drawn to the words “easy side job” and clicked on it.
I was prompted to register as a friend on the LINE account of a woman who said she was a company affiliated with YouTube.
I was told that I could easily earn money by completing the "task" of watching videos.
I had some doubts, but after watching the specified video, I tried sending a screenshot of the screen to the other party. He was then immediately paid a 150 yen reward using the payment service Paypay.
After doing a similar task several times, I was prompted to download another Talk app. Similar tasks were introduced in this app, but eventually you will be asked to try a “special task.”
If you select a crypto asset on a registered website and transfer some money, you can earn a profit.
actual interaction
Chisato did as she was told and transferred 3,000 yen to the designated account. She said that she immediately made a profit and that 3,900 yen was transferred to her account, which made her feel relieved, saying, ``I can really make money.''
After that, I transferred a total of 30,000 yen (10,000 yen each) to three accounts that I was instructed to do as another special task.
However, at this time, he was unable to receive any profits because he had made a mistake when operating the site, and was told that if he wanted his money back he would have to pay five times the amount, which meant he had to transfer an additional 150,000 yen. Furthermore, if there is a mistake in the payment, you will be asked to pay three times the amount.
Chisato consulted her friends and family here. It turns out that she is likely a fraud. She also consulted the police, but she was told there was little chance of getting the money she transferred back.
Chisato (pseudonym):
``I opened an advertisement out of curiosity that said ``Some people earn 1 million a month'' and started it with a naive heart.I believed it because I was actually getting paid.I had saved up money through part-time work. I'm shocked that my parents took away my money and the money my parents had prepared for me in case something happened.''
Encourage payments in “groups”
Some people have been scammed when they tried to start a side job to make ends meet.
In February of this year, Kumi (pseudonym), who is in her 60s, clicked on an ad that appeared on Facebook recommending a side job.
She was battling cancer and wanted to make some extra money.
At first, you could get a 100 yen reward just by watching the video and pressing the thumbs up button. After that, a group of 3 or 4 people was created in another talk app that I was directed to from LINE, and from the account of the woman who was in charge of the task, I was informed of a ``welfare task.''
It claimed that you could earn profits by transferring money to a designated account and purchasing crypto assets on the website. Similar to Chisato's case, this appears to be a fraudulent transaction of crypto assets.
At first, if you transfer 5000 yen, you can withdraw 6500 yen, and then you will start doing more expensive tasks.
Other members of the group also commented that they had increased their income by working on tasks one after another and transferring 50,000 yen and 100,000 yen, which created a sense of solidarity as if they were fellow investors, and they felt inspired. I started working hard on my tasks.
actual interaction
Then, one day, I was told that I had made a mistake in the operation of a task, and was instructed to transfer a penalty fee, saying, ``If one person makes a mistake, everyone will be jointly and severally liable and will not be able to withdraw the money.''
I was told that I could withdraw my profits if I paid a penalty fee, so I transferred the money, but even then I was told that I would need to pay an additional fee of approximately 400,000 yen.
In the end, the amount of money lost through transfers amounted to about 1.1 million yen.
When she finally answered that she didn't have any more money, she said she received a message with a link to a consumer loan and a message saying, ``You can borrow here.'' Kumi also went to the police, but she says she was told it would be difficult to get her money back.
Kumi (pseudonym)
``Now that I think about it, the other members of the group may have been shills.At the time, I was scared that I was causing trouble for everyone, so I did as I was told and paid the extra money. Even though I said I couldn't pay any more, I was asked to pay an additional several hundred thousand yen under the pretense of compensation or fees.I was shocked and embarrassed that I had been deceived, and I felt sick. I broke it.”
“Advertisement is the gateway” Similar consultations are occurring one after another
According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, consultations regarding troubles related to these ``side jobs that claim to earn money by completing tasks'' have been occurring one after another since this year, and some people have paid 6 million yen and are unable to get their money back. is.
Common features of the tricks
: The entrance is through advertisements that promise easy ways to earn money, such as by simply watching videos.
▽Forcing money to be transferred to a personal account that appears to have been fraudulently bought and sold.
In these types of troubles that take place on SNS, basic information such as whether the other party is a real person or business cannot be determined by only communicating through SNS, and it is difficult to recover from the damage even if you seek advice.
Yuya Minagawa, Consultation Information Department, National Consumer Affairs Center,
``In the past, when seeking advice for troubles caused by side job advertisements, there have been methods such as selling information products or signing expensive support contracts, but recently people have been relying on people just watching videos. There are many cases where people have been recommended crypto assets and asked to make a deposit from a place where they can get paid just by clicking the like button on social networking sites or social networking services. I want you to realize that it's weird when you're asked to pay even though you want to earn money."
Number of consultations regarding crypto assets at worst pace ever
He says that among the problems with side jobs that allow people to earn money through such tasks, cases in which they end up leading them to invest in crypto assets are especially noticeable.
The number of consultations regarding troubles related to crypto assets was the highest in fiscal 2021, when the current data collection began, at 6,381, but in fiscal 2023, the number had already exceeded 6,711 as of the end of February, making it the worst pace ever. Masu.
In addition to those who were guided by online advertisements such as ``Easy to make money,'' there are also complaints about not getting your money back if you purchase from an overseas vendor, or being solicited to invest by impersonating a celebrity.
Regarding crypto assets, the amount paid tends to be larger compared to other consultations.
There are many people who pay large amounts of money believing that profits are increasing on a fake system or that they can withdraw money only at the beginning, believing that they will make money.
In addition, even if you are an overseas business, you must register under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act for crypto asset transactions if you are dealing with people living in Japan. We would like you to check whether your name is on the list of registered business operators published on the Financial Services Agency website.
Problems related to side jobs and scams related to crypto assets have been occurring repeatedly for some time, but their methods are changing every day. What we can do is still be careful before paying.
When you are told that you can easily make money, it is important to be skeptical.
Scheduled to be broadcast on News 7 on April 6th
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