After last year’s “great resignation,” many people who don’t want to return to the office are looking for part-time work. But, scammers are now lurking everywhere, targeting all those people hoping to find a side hustle.
Whether it’s driving people around, delivering food, renting out a room, or taking care of someone’s pet, there’s probably a part-time hustle that’s perfect for you. But, some are too perfect and turn out to be costly scams.
Julie Bright had just posted her resume online when she got an email inviting her to be a secret shopper evaluating stores.
“I believed it,” she said.
“I opened up this card in the mail,” she said, “and I remember seeing this cashier’s check to Julie Bright, and it had instructions to be a wholesale secret shopper.”
The company sent her a check for more than $1,000, to buy gift cards and check out gift card sales at popular stores.
“It tells me to go to Walgreens or CVS,” she explained, “but said don’t let the cashier know what I am doing, as far as the survey, or who I am.”
Warning signs of a side hustle scam
By now, you’ve hopefully spotted some of the red flags here:
- Receiving an unexpected check in the mail upfront.
- Instructed to purchase gift cards with that money.
- Told to send some money, or give the gift card numbers, to your new “employer.”
- Reminded that you should not tell anyone what you are doing.
Bright was about to fall for one of many side hustle scams now targeting workers, according to Sherrod DeGrippo of Proofpoint Internet…
