A SYNDICATE that offered bogus jobs online was recently busted with the arrest of nine suspects following a raid on a premise in the city.
Promising a commission rate between 8% and 15% from these jobs, the syndicate would promote jobs for ‘online purchasing agents’ where the victims would be instructed to purchase products belonging to the syndicate online under the guise of increasing their ratings.
The syndicate would pay their money back plus the promised commissions for the first two purchases before delaying payment from the third purchase onwards and becoming impossible to contact.
The fake job syndicate is the latest in a long line of crimes that take advantage of people’s desperation that arise from the COVID-19 pandemic.
What’s worse is the fact that total losses have amounted to RM689,850 from various victims all over Malaysia. In Kuala Lumpur, victims lost RM246,892. Police have received 23 reports on the syndicate from Feb 6 to April 20.
In times of great financial distress and high unemployment rates, it is rather common to see an uptick in scams that offer a ‘guaranteed’ way to make fast money or a high-paying job for little effort.
The lure of earning easy money is sometimes hard to resist, and people must remember that there are unscrupulous and irresponsible individuals out there who would not hesitate to take advantage of their financial vulnerabilities.
This is why, like any other job offers, people should always do their due diligence before divulging any personal financial information. Google the company you are applying for, and look up their contact information. In short, do your homework.
It is also best practice to apply to jobs through a company website and not via a link sent to you, or posted elsewhere.
This will probably not be the last we will hear of these bogus job scams. The best way to avoid this from happening to you is to learn how to look out for red flags. Check with various official sources if you are suspicious in any way that a job posting may not be legitimate.
After all, as the old adage goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. – April 24, 2021
