Warning! Fraudsters Lure Victims with Fake “Product Promotion” Jobs

Easy work, high pay, and zero investment required may be criminal traps. The police warn about product promotion scams that come in various forms. But it always ends the same way, in which victims are coerced into transferring money until their funds cannot be withdrawn.

For those seeking part-time income, stay vigilant. Scammers utilize a deceptive "product promotion" scheme, starting with friendly chat messages and claims of high-paying, work-from-home opportunities. Victims are lured into completing missions and investing their own money, eventually losing their entire savings before they realize the truth.

What are the tricks of "product promotion scams”?

• Initial approachesScammers initiate contact via private messages, pretending to be job recruiters. They offer lucrative product promotion roles that can be done from home with no stock required.
• Invitation to a LINE accountOnce a victim shows interest, they are instructed to add a specific LINE account, claimed to be the official channel for receiving assignments.
• Mission trapOnce a victim shows interest, they are instructed to add a specific LINE account, claimed to be the official channel for receiving assignments.
• Forced investmentOnce the victim’s guard is down, the scammers compel them to pour more money into increasingly expensive investment packages. Ultimately, the victim finds themselves unable to withdraw any money, resulting in the loss of their entire investments.

Precautions to these "extra income mission" scams

Should you encounter this type of behavior, be skeptical. Do not believe, transfer money nor provide personal information under any circumstances. Block and report the account immediately.

Police point out even though the scam patterns may vary, the purpose is always to lure victims until they lose all their money

Pol. Col. Neti Wongkulab, Deputy Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), explained about "product promotion" scam patterns. He stated that scammers often approach victims by inviting them to help promote products or complete simple tasks via social media and will transfer payment in the early stages to put the victim’s guard down.

Once the victim’s trust is gained, they will be pulled into a LINE group containing "shills" (fake accounts). These shills constantly show transfer slips to claim they have made real profits. This acts as group psychology to entice the victim into investing more money.

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Pol. Col. Neti Wongkulab[/caption]

However, present-day scammers have evolved to utilize fraudulent websites. Beyond simple money transfers, they now create sophisticated fake websites or applications that victims are required to register as members. Within these systems, victims can see profit figures, but these are merely deceptive numbers with no actual underlying funds. When the victim attempts to withdraw their money, they are unable to do so, with the scammers citing various excuses such as processing fees or taxes.

Steps to detect “mission scams”

Pol. Col. Neti suggests that if you encounter these behaviors, you should immediately assume you are dealing with a scammer.

• Constant changes to recipient accounts: when performing missions or investing, you will be instructed to transfer money to different accounts each time, moving from ‘Corporate Account A’ to ‘Corporate Account B.’ If the accounts change frequently, this is considered highly abnormal.
• Poorly crafted fake websites: observe the bottom section of the website. Social media icons or contact addresses are often non-functional links or simply static images placed there for appearance.
• Refusal to use mobile phone calls: scammers prefer internet-based calls (Line, Facebook, Instagram) because they are difficult to geolocate, and it is likely that the perpetrators are not located in Thailand. You should request a 10-digit mobile number and verify it by calling the actual parent company directly.

Source: Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (in Thai)