Remote jobs offer a lot in terms of freedom and working from home. It’s no wonder they’re in demand. But, as is often the case with in-demand opportunities, there is often someone willing to take advantage of them. Today, we’re looking at the AliExpress remote job scam and the different forms it can take.
Anatomy of the Scam
The AliExpress scam begins unsolicited. The victim receives a text message or email out of the blue, or after they’ve been applying for jobs online through various job boards. The message might appear legitimate (but still have a few spelling and grammatical errors), offering part-time work for AliExpress, or some variant of the name.
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The scammer takes the conversation to a messaging service like WhatsApp or Telegram, and assigns the victim small tasks to do mundane or trivial tasks (liking videos, rating products, providing reviews) in exchange for a small commission.
Once the work is done, the scammer moves the conversation to a different messaging service (or a different branch of the scam) and then asks for either a deposit from the victim in order for them to withdraw what they’re owed or a membership fee to move to a higher earning tier.
After the money is sent, the victim might get an initial payment. But after that, the scammer will always disappear after the victim sends additional money. While the victim may get returns initially, the scammer will always win.
Avoiding the AliExpress Remote Job Scam
The key to avoiding the AliExpress fake job scam, also known as the Task Scam, is looking out for red flags. Above all, you should remember that you shouldn’t have to pay for a job, especially not upfront, be it application fees or deposits to secure payments or tier membership. Here are some ways to stay safe:
- Unsolicited Messages – Companies that message you with job offers aren’t unheard of, but if the offer lacks any personal address, seems mass-generated, and contains spelling or grammatical errors, then it’s very likely a scam.
- Hyperlinks – Quite often, AliExpress scams will use a variant hyperlink in their communications that mimics the real company’s, but isn’t an exact match.
- The Work Involved – Jobs that involve rating, liking, viewing, reviewing, or anything to boost numbers and metrics are morally dubious at best and illegal at worst. No respectable company, let alone AliExpress, will be asking you to do this.
- Communication Channels – If it looks like a major corporation like AliExpress is contacting you through messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram, then alarm bells should already be going off.
- Urgency – It might not always be the case, but sometimes these scams involve a degree of pressure. The “job offer” might be limited, or the required payment must be made before your earnings are lost. This is done to stop you from questioning things and to encourage an emotional reaction over a rational one.
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When my sweet old grandmother got caught up in an Amazon gift card scam, I decided then and there that I needed to do whatever I could to inform as many people as possible about the grifters of the world. That’s what I do here – writing about modern scams so you don’t get caught out.
