Task Scams: The "Get Paid to Like Videos" Jobs on WhatsApp and Telegram

Short answer: jobs that pay you to like YouTube or TikTok videos, rate products, "boost" orders or review hotels, and then ask you to deposit money to unlock more tasks or withdraw your earnings, are task scams. The earnings on the screen are not real. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the FBI and Ghana's Cyber Security Authority (CSA) have all warned about this exact pattern. If you have been asked to "top up" or "recharge" to continue, stop paying now.

What is a task scam?

A task scam is a fake job dressed up as easy online work. You are told you will earn commission for simple actions: liking videos, following accounts, giving five stars to products, rating hotels or restaurants, or clicking a button to "optimise" an app. It feels like a game, with levels, a balance that grows and a friendly "mentor" guiding you.

The FTC calls these "gamified job scams". In its December 2024 Data Spotlight it said about 20,000 people reported task scams to it in the first half of 2024, compared with about 5,000 in the whole of 2023. It also said reported losses to job scams more than tripled between 2020 and 2023. Most victims never report, so the real numbers are higher.

Ghana is not spared. In January 2024 the CSA warned about scammers posing as recruiters on SMS, email, WhatsApp and Telegram, offering part-time work such as liking social media posts. It said victims are paid small amounts at first, then asked for deposits to get "more lucrative tasks", and are locked out once the deposits are large.

How the deposit-to-unlock trick works

1. The first message. An unknown number on WhatsApp or Telegram says something like "Hello, I'm a recruiter. We have part-time work, GH¢300 to GH¢1,500 a day, 30 minutes from your phone." The FTC notes these messages rarely give real details about the company or the role.
2. Free tasks and a small payout. You like a few videos and send screenshots. They pay you a little, maybe GH¢20 to GH¢50 by MoMo, or a few dollars in crypto. This is bait. It proves to you the "job" pays.
3. You are moved to a platform. You get a link to a website or app and a "receptionist" or "mentor" on Telegram. You are told to create an account and complete sets of tasks. Words like "product boosting", "order grabbing", "app optimisation" and "data tasks" are common.
4. The deposit. A task comes up that puts your balance into minus, or a "combination order" or "lucky order" appears. To continue or withdraw, you must deposit your own money. The FTC says crypto is the most reported payment method, but in Ghana and Nigeria many victims are told to pay by MoMo, PalmPay or bank transfer to a personal account.
5. The ladder. Each deposit unlocks a bigger task that needs a bigger deposit. You are shown commissions that make it look worth it. If you hesitate, you are added to a group chat full of "members" posting withdrawal screenshots. Many of them are the scammers.
6. The lock-out. When you finally ask to withdraw, there is a "tax", "unfreezing fee", "credit score repair" or "VIP upgrade" to pay first. Then the account is frozen and the mentor stops replying.

In 2023 the Nigerian fact-checker Dubawa followed one of these. Facebook adverts claimed Jumia was hiring for "part-time smartphone tasks". Applicants were sent to a WhatsApp contact and a cloned shopping site, given demo orders that earned a tiny balance, then told to pay N1,000, N5,000 or N15,000 into a PalmPay account for "VIP" levels. Jumia had already posted a disclaimer saying the adverts were not from it.

Is liking videos for money ever real?

There are real ways to earn from content, such as creator programmes, paid surveys from known research panels and freelance social media management. None of them ask you to pay a deposit to receive your own earnings.

The rule the FTC gives is simple: if you have to pay to get paid, it is a scam. Real employers do not recruit through random WhatsApp messages, do not pay you to give fake reviews, and do not make you buy "orders" to earn commission. Paying people to post fake reviews is also against the rules of YouTube, Google, Amazon and most other platforms, so a "job" built on it cannot be legitimate.

Red flags in the first five minutes

• A stranger offers you a job you never applied for, on WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS or Instagram.
• Pay is high for almost no work: "earn GH¢500 daily from your phone".
• The "recruiter" uses a big brand name (Jumia, Amazon, TikTok, Booking.com, a hotel chain or an ad agency) but writes from a personal number or a Telegram account.
• There is no interview, no contract and no company email address.
• You are told to download an app that is not on the official Play Store or App Store, or to use a website you have never heard of.
• Any request to deposit, recharge, top up, buy an order, upgrade to VIP or pay a "withdrawal fee".
• Payments go to personal MoMo numbers, PalmPay accounts or crypto wallets, often under a different name from the person chatting with you.

How to get out if you are already in

The hardest part is accepting that the balance on screen is not money you own. Every extra deposit to "save" it only adds to the loss. Here is what to do today:

1. Stop paying. Do not pay any fee, tax or upgrade, however close the mentor says you are to withdrawing.
2. Save evidence first. Screenshot the chats, the website address, the app name, every payment, and the numbers or wallet addresses you paid to.
3. Call your provider immediately. For MoMo, call your network's customer service (MTN 100, or the official lines for Telecel Cash and AT Money) and ask them to flag and, if possible, block the receiving number. For bank transfers, call your bank's fraud line. Speed matters.
4. Report it. In Ghana, call or text the CSA on 292, WhatsApp 0501603111 or email report@csa.gov.gh, and file a report with the Ghana Police Service. In Nigeria, report to the police and the EFCC through efcc.gov.ng. In the US, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, use Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk, which replaced Action Fraud in December 2025.
5. Report and block the accounts. On WhatsApp, open the chat, tap the contact name and choose Report. On Telegram, open the chat, tap the three dots and choose Report.
6. Secure your phone. If you installed an app they sent, uninstall it. Change your MoMo PIN and email password, and turn on WhatsApp two-step verification under Settings, Account, Two-step verification.

Beware the second scam: "fund recovery"

After a task scam, many victims are contacted by "lawyers", "hackers" or "crypto recovery agents" who promise to get the money back for a fee. The FBI warns that services promising to recover lost crypto are often scams too, and the FTC says real agencies never charge you to recover money. Scammers sell lists of people who have already paid. Do not pay anyone to recover your money. Work only with your bank, your MoMo provider and the police.

If you were already scammed

You are not foolish. Task scams are designed by organised groups who use the same scripts on thousands of people. Report quickly, keep your evidence and warn the people in your contact list, because scammers often ask victims to "invite friends" for bonuses.

Before you reply to any job message, check a number, handle or website on TrustCheck. If you have been hit, report it so the next person sees the warning. For related tricks, read how fake investment platforms operate, fake job offers in Ghana and how to report a scam in Ghana.