Hey! I have to tell you about a deeply disturbing experience my friend has had over the past month. I think this is a cautionary tale that everyone should hear.
If you or someone you know has experienced or acquired an online side job, small social media tasks like subscribing to a Youtube channel, and then a “merchant task” or a “prepaid task”, stop now and read through.
It all started when my friend wanted to earn some extra cash to pay their bills and expenses. As the family’s only source of income, their salaries have not been reduced. So, on June 7, they stumbled upon this website that claimed to offer remote work opportunities. Little did they know what they were getting into.
The site seems perfectly legitimate, claiming to be a reputable “global e-commerce company” with big-name partners like Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, and eBay. They even show certificates to back up their credibility. To spice things up, they say it’s completely free to join a community of “experts” to improve a brand’s rating. I mean, who wouldn’t be tempted by that?
My friend signed up on this platform without even thinking about it. The manager explained how to earn and withdraw money through the platform, especially by transferring it to their GCash account. These tasks seem pretty simple: just spend a few minutes browsing a specific merchant’s products to improve their rating. They get a 20% commission for every task they complete. The commission rates seem fair, nothing too crazy. So my friend got scammed.
After signing up, they were told they needed to deposit 120 pesos using the platform to “activate” their account. The website claims that this amount, along with the P30 sign-up bonus, will be withdrawn immediately once their account is activated. In retrospect, they probably should have seen this as a red flag, but they ignored it. I guess P120 doesn’t seem like a huge amount, they think it’s a reasonable activation fee. They also didn’t pay much attention to the broken English on the website.
Anyway, they took out the full amount as promised and even got an extra P24 to complete the account activation. The manager confirms that the withdrawal was successful and asks if the funds have reached their GCash account. Everything seemed fine then.
Now that their account is “active” as the manager said, they are assigned their first task. The manager explained that each task required an “activation” deposit. Without this deposit, they cannot perform tasks or earn any commissions. They even have a table showing the activation fee and corresponding commission for each task.
Task 1: P500, commission P100; Task 2: P1500 plus P300 commission, and so on. The manager made it clear that the money, along with the commission, would be withdrawn to their GCash account as soon as the task was completed. The manager asks if they understand and agree to the terms. My friends agreed without hesitation, as if some strange force compelled them to do so.
The first two tasks went well for them and others who thought they were in the same boat. They managed to cash out their income without any problem. My friend received P100 for the first mission and an extra P300 for the second mission. This looks promising.
But things take a dire turn when a third mission comes along. Suddenly, they are asked to pre-deposit P3,000. No one questioned the deposit since the previous mission had already successfully withdrawn the money. However, when the task was completed, they were shocked. Task 3 turned out to be a “double task” with a bunch of sub-tasks in it. That’s when everything completely spiraled out of control.
They were told they had to make an extra deposit to “complete” their assignment, or the system would “forfeit” their money for non-compliance. Most importantly, they are not allowed to drop out. They have to complete all tasks or their money is gone forever. It was hard to swallow, but since my friends thought they were halfway done, they felt compelled to keep going.
As the situation escalated, they felt their hearts were out of control. The more they communicated with their manager, the more they felt manipulated and controlled, despite their anger and determination that they were powerless to continue. It’s hard to explain, but they found themselves urgently and voluntarily depositing more funds into the platform. It made them physically unwell, but that didn’t stop them from leaving the house to fulfill the request. It’s unbelievable and indescribable. This nightmare lasted two harrowing days.
My friends have gotten to the point where they have had to empty their bank accounts, borrow money from others, and even nearly max out their credit cards just to meet these demands. The pain and trauma they go through after regaining mind control is beyond imagination. They are deeply grateful to God for getting them out of trouble and back to sobriety.
Now, when they finally came back to their senses, they just sat there, staring blankly at the wall. They didn’t even have the energy to cry. Sleep was out of the question; whenever they closed their eyes, they saw strange and unexplainable images. This is something they have never experienced before. They stayed awake for 72 hours straight. Only recently have they been able to get any sleep after completing their task of gathering hard evidence and reporting the incident to the police.
Unfortunately, at the police station, they discovered that other people had also fallen victim to similar scammers. These crooks have been getting away with their scams for quite some time, and none of them have faced any consequences. They operate under false identities and even use fraudulent bank accounts. They found loopholes in the know-your-customer (KYC) process, especially with online account applications like UnionBank.
So, here’s a reminder: trust your instincts. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If in the unlikely event that you find yourself in a similar situation, keep your emotions in check and contact your bank or relevant payment gateway such as GCash immediately.
Thankfully, GCash has a very helpful help center. Reporting an incident takes only a few minutes, and they provide quick updates. My friend would also like to say thank you to the wonderful folks at GCash who assisted in blocking the conduit account. They know who they are and my friends will be forever grateful for their support. They fervently pray that these fraudsters will be caught and punished as they deserve.
