KATHMANDU: Social media has become a popular platform for advertising almost everything, including job opportunities. Many people looking for employment turn to these platforms in their search.
Recently, there has been a surge in advertisements for online jobs on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Despite the lack of actual job openings, individuals are often lured by the prospect of earning money through part-time work.
A couple of days ago, Kamala Sharma (name changed) fell victim to such a scam.
After leaving her job to raise her child, she lost track of time over the past two years.
Feeling the need to return to work, she responded to a job advertisement she saw in the newspaper by sending her CV to the provided address.
In a conversation with Khabarhub, Sharma shared her frustration, noting that the company seemed uninterested in her application once they learned she had a young child at home.
“They called me for an interview, but their interest waned when I mentioned I had a two-year-old daughter,” she said.
After being out of work for so long, Sharma was anxious about losing her skills.
One day, she came across an advertisement on Facebook seeking translators.
Since she had experience translating from English to Nepali, she was excited about the opportunity and promptly contacted the page.
She was directed to a Telegram ID under the name ‘Hamit Sotedu’ and began a conversation.
When she inquired about the nature of the translation work, they responded with a lengthy message, stating that their company, “American Online Hire,” provided translation services and was offering her a job.
They assured her that the advertisement would be removed now that they had found the right candidate.
Despite some red flags, Sharma did not initially suspect the ad was fake.
She agreed to the job and was given access to a website, which, unfortunately, was not functioning.
When she inquired about the issue, she was told it was undergoing maintenance, a claim she accepted.
She was then sent a 100-page English book titled ‘O Henry,’ which was described as a literary work being translated into multiple languages.
“They sent me the 100-page book on Friday and instructed me to complete the translation by Sunday and send it back,” she said.
“Given my unemployment situation, even though it was just part-time work, it energized me. I had a lot to translate in a short time, so I worked both day and night. Despite the heavy workload, the pay seemed good. I even had to search on Google for unfamiliar terms.”
She continued, “I was supposed to submit the work on Sunday, but I couldn’t finish it on time. I requested an extension, and they asked me to send only 50 pages instead. It took until Tuesday to complete it. They mentioned that the payment for 100 pages would be $2,500, but later revised it to $1,350 for the 50 pages I completed.”
After finishing the work, she requested an email address to send the completed pages, but they insisted she send them via Telegram.
They warned that sending the documents in a regular font could damage them.
She then converted the documents to a Unicode font and sent them.
The scammers praised her work and sent a document stating, “You did a very good job,” showing a payment of NPR 200,000 in her name.
She was thrilled at the prospect of receiving such a large amount. However, her excitement was short-lived when they requested additional money to release her salary.
“They said the money couldn’t be sent right away because it was ‘pending’ and that I needed to pay additional fees first. To receive the salary, I had to send them NPR 4,000,” she said.
“Despite the effort I put in, I felt compelled to send the money because I didn’t want to lose the salary after working so hard.”
Before sending the money, she consulted her mother. Her mother questioned why she should pay to receive her earned salary, suggesting that it was a scam.
Her husband also agreed that there was no need to send money to get paid for work done.
Despite their advice, Sharma was still reluctant to accept that it was a scam.
The thought of losing NPR 4,000 was disheartening, especially after investing so much time and effort.
Finally, she spoke to a friend, who advised her to ask for their QR code. Following this advice, she made the request.
The QR code provided by Sulindar Mahato linked to an Nabil Bank account.
When she questioned why she needed to send money, the response was that she had to pay first to recover the withheld amount.
They had earlier given her an NMB Bank account number and sent a document along with the bank details.
After she failed to send the money, another entity, claiming to be the Online Salary Board, contacted her.
They sent a list of people who had worked with their company, including individuals from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar, along with videos of their work.
When Sharma questioned the legitimacy of the operation, they became hostile.
Subsequently, all messages on Telegram were deleted, and she was blocked.
Despite her extensive search, she found no information about “American Online Hire” anywhere.
Sharma recounted that her family and friends criticized her for being deceived despite being educated.
She expressed frustration, saying, “I was desperate for a job and thought it was a legitimate opportunity. I didn’t expect to be tricked like this.”
Even though she lost money, she felt her labor was also stolen. This was her first experience with such a scam.
“Fraudulent schemes often use WhatsApp and Telegram,” Sharma warned.
“They lure people with offers to work from home and then ask for money under various pretexts.”
Despite her own experience with fraud, Sharma has advised everyone to be extremely cautious with online job advertisements.
(Based on a conversation with the victim)
Comment