Rise of task scams: social engineering and AI fuel a wave of online fraud

Criminals are increasingly targeting Britons seeking extra income with so-called task scams that rely on social engineering to lure victims into costly schemes, cybersecurity researchers say. As high living costs and stagnating wages push more people toward second jobs or side hustles, scammers are preying on those who are hoping for an quick, easy windfall. Chris Boyton, a senior adversary hunter at Trend Micro, told This is Money that criminals are zeroing in on individuals who may not have regular office access, who are caring for a family, or who simply want to chase a better paying opportunity from home.

These schemes are pitched as legitimate opportunities, often by posing as recruitment agents from real companies. One message seen by This is Money offered a 'guaranteed' income of £8,000 per month for just an hour's work per day.

'When they get a text message like this, they are thinking about the benefits rather than looking at the risks. They're targeting people who may be susceptible to the mentality of chasing that next win,' Boyton said. 'The likes of email defences have improved drastically, so criminals are really starting to move towards targeting victims using social engineering.' In the early stages, scammers pay victims about £50 to £100 for an hour of training, after which they allocate batches of 'tasks'. The most common task is online product reviews. As victims see their earnings grow and receive further payouts, they are gradually asked to deposit their own money either to 'unlock' earnings or to upgrade to receive additional tasks.

Scammers then deploy additional tasks—often labeled as 'bonus tasks'—that promise larger returns but require upfront payments to access. They keep victims on the hook for as long as possible, sometimes draining accounts bit by bit. 'They will keep going as long as they can get money, so if they only get £100, they're still doing what they need to do, but as long as people are willing to keep chasing that next set of tasks, they will wipe their accounts completely,' Boyton said. Payments are requested through crypto platforms, which, unlike bank transfers, are much harder to trace. Victims transfer funds to their own crypto accounts and then send them to scammers via crypto networks, making reimbursement through banks unlikely once a scam is detected.

Trend Micro notes that the rise of task scams began to accelerate around 2022 and has continued to grow. While some high-profile cases involve substantial losses—up to £800,000 in a single instance—the typical pattern involves many victims losing smaller amounts. The scale of the problem comes from the large number of people affected rather than a single, spectacular loss case. The firm also cautions that the increasing availability of AI tools is helping scammers craft more convincing outreach and operate at greater scale.

To avoid falling victim, Boyton urges vigilance even when a prospective opportunity seems appealing. 'If it seems too good to be true, then it is. A job usually includes a face-to-face interview. If that doesn't happen, and they're happy to hire you without doing their own due diligence, you should probably ask yourself, why is that?' he said. He also recommends verifying a company on LinkedIn to confirm a legitimate presence and checking that any directed website uses the correct domain. 'No legitimate employer is going to ask you for money. They won't say,