Scammers often use the identities of well-known platforms in order to fool people into thinking they’re involved with a legitimate company.
I’ve come across many crypto scams that involve carrying out ‘work’ tasks for websites such as TripAdvisor or Amazon.
These often involve pasting short, pre-made reviews or leaving star ratings for venues or products across the platforms.
Scammers are also using the IMDb name to extend this type of fraud by getting people to perform tasks supposedly associated with the movie database platform under the premise of it being linked to a crypto investment.
IMDb scam starts on social media
Victims of the IMDb scam are contacted at random through social media platforms and directed to a group chat on WhatsApp.
The group is populated by people supposedly involved in the investment who are talking about their success and how the money they’re making is dramatically improving their lives.
However, these so-called success stories are being posted by members of the scam gang as part of an elaborate process to convince people that the scheme is real.
This includes allowing people to withdraw their invested funds and some of the ‘profit’ at the beginning of the scam to build trust and confidence before larger deposits are made.
Victims are also directed to a platform and app which gives them access to an account area showing their ‘work’ tasks, deposits and ‘profits’.
Platforms known to be using the TripAdvisor name
Those who become involved in the scam are convinced to invest their own money in return for giving tasks that pay out rewards.
Initially, the returns appear to be real and victims are given an easy route to extract their funds while the amounts are small.
However, users are incentivised to put larger amounts of money into the scheme to secure ‘premium orders’ which offer greater potential rewards.
The rewards are paid in the form of ‘commission’ which the scammers suggest is linked to crypto lending platform.
However, as soon as a significant amount of the user’s own money has accumulated in the account, they’ll find they won’t be able to withdraw it.
The scammers will then demand a ‘fee’, ‘commission’ or some other form of spurious payment to release the funds, but this is part of the scheme and is designed to extract more money from victims.
How to spot an IMDb scam
Big companies like IMDb are never connected with the type of scheme described above so if someone is claiming they are this is a huge red flag.
Here are a few other things to look out for:
Can I get my money back from an IMDb crypto scam?
Unfortunately it’s very difficult to catch the scammers who operated these schemes, but it’s important to report what’s happened to the police or fraud authorities in your country.
There are many things you can do to check if a site is legitimate or not, and you can work your way through this scam checklist I’ve produced to ensure you don’t become the next victim.
If you’ve already lost money to a crypto scam there are specialist crypto recovery firms that may be able to help.
Have you had any experience with this platform? Kindly share your thoughts in the comment section to help others stay informed and safe.
I’ve come across many crypto scams that involve carrying out ‘work’ tasks for websites such as TripAdvisor or Amazon.
These often involve pasting short, pre-made reviews or leaving star ratings for venues or products across the platforms.
Scammers are also using the IMDb name to extend this type of fraud by getting people to perform tasks supposedly associated with the movie database platform under the premise of it being linked to a crypto investment.
IMDb scam starts on social media
Victims of the IMDb scam are contacted at random through social media platforms and directed to a group chat on WhatsApp.
The group is populated by people supposedly involved in the investment who are talking about their success and how the money they’re making is dramatically improving their lives.
However, these so-called success stories are being posted by members of the scam gang as part of an elaborate process to convince people that the scheme is real.
This includes allowing people to withdraw their invested funds and some of the ‘profit’ at the beginning of the scam to build trust and confidence before larger deposits are made.
Victims are also directed to a platform and app which gives them access to an account area showing their ‘work’ tasks, deposits and ‘profits’.
Platforms known to be using the TripAdvisor name
- Imdb-uk-movie
Those who become involved in the scam are convinced to invest their own money in return for giving tasks that pay out rewards.
Initially, the returns appear to be real and victims are given an easy route to extract their funds while the amounts are small.
However, users are incentivised to put larger amounts of money into the scheme to secure ‘premium orders’ which offer greater potential rewards.
The rewards are paid in the form of ‘commission’ which the scammers suggest is linked to crypto lending platform.
However, as soon as a significant amount of the user’s own money has accumulated in the account, they’ll find they won’t be able to withdraw it.
The scammers will then demand a ‘fee’, ‘commission’ or some other form of spurious payment to release the funds, but this is part of the scheme and is designed to extract more money from victims.
How to spot an IMDb scam
Big companies like IMDb are never connected with the type of scheme described above so if someone is claiming they are this is a huge red flag.
Here are a few other things to look out for:
- New websites or DApps with recently registered domains.
- WhatsApp groups filled with overly hyped success stories.
- Unrealistic returns over a short space of time.
- No real explanation as to how these returns are being generated.
- Mobile phone numbers that aren’t linked to ‘real’ people.
- No information about the company or licensing.
- Reviews highlighting a platform as being a scam.
Can I get my money back from an IMDb crypto scam?
Unfortunately it’s very difficult to catch the scammers who operated these schemes, but it’s important to report what’s happened to the police or fraud authorities in your country.
There are many things you can do to check if a site is legitimate or not, and you can work your way through this scam checklist I’ve produced to ensure you don’t become the next victim.
If you’ve already lost money to a crypto scam there are specialist crypto recovery firms that may be able to help.
Have you had any experience with this platform? Kindly share your thoughts in the comment section to help others stay informed and safe.