TikTok has issued an urgent warning to anyone who has received a text claiming to be from its HR department with a job offer that sounds too good to be true
Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has revolutionised social media and become one of the most popular platforms in the world. It has become the go-to location for viral videos and career-defining moments.
With over one billion active users, many have launched businesses via the site and earned huge salaries. It’s no wonder that many of us would jump at the chance to work for the company and be a part of the global movement.
Posted to Reddit, someone revealed that they had been sent a text message claiming to be from TikTok offering them the chance to earn a generous salary from doing very little work. Sorely tempted, they posted the details asking what other people thought. And like most things, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
The post read: “I got this text and I’m interested but think it may be a scam.” Sharing what the message said, it continued: Hello, I am from the HR department at TikTok. Your resume is very suitable for our positions. For business development, TikTok needs 300 part-time partners. No experience required!
“The working environment is relaxed. Work on the phone and it is easy to learn. The daily salary is from £200, up to £500. Please contact as soon as possible to get job details. We are looking forward to seeing you soon.” The poster added that there was a link to click in the text.
The post was inundated with comments from people warning they had also received this text and that it was indeed a scam. One person replied: “My rule is: if I or an authorized third party did not provide you my information, you are spam. I don’t accept bills by text either, legit or not.”
Another user explained: “This is a Task scam. It involves a website or mobile app that claims you can earn money by completing easy tasks, such as watching a video, liking a post, or creating an order.
“A very common characteristic (but not entirely exclusive) is that you have to complete sets of 40 tasks. The app will tell you that you can earn money for each task, but the catch is that you can only do a limited number of tasks without upgrading your account. To upgrade your accounts, the scammers will require you to pay a fee. This makes it a variant of the advance fee scam.”
They went on to explain that the goal of the scam is to get people to download the app for easy money and then encourage them to pay to get to the next level. They added: “It’s impossible to get your ‘earnings’ out of the app, so victims will have wasted their time and money.
“This type of scam preys on the sunk cost fallacy, because people demonstrate a greater tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment has been made, and refusing to succumb to what may be described as cutting one’s losses.”
TikTok also shared a warning on their website. It read: “Be wary of job scams that appear to originate from TikTok, and always #thinkb4youdo. It has come to our attention that scammers have been using the TikTok name to entice their victims.
“Please be informed that such messages are scams. TikTok and its partners do not operate in this manner. Please be vigilant and think twice before sharing personal information or sending money. Always check your sources of information.”
TikTok has been contacted for comment.
Have you ever fallen for a task or employment scam? Do you have a story to share? Email [email protected]