Online job scam has become more prevalent nowadays, particularly in Malaysia. If you’re someone who’s searching for a part-time job, please beware of scams and always do enough research before accepting a job.
Here’s my story of receiving a job scam from someone posing as an HR from a legitimate company.
On June 7 (Wednesday), I received a WhatsApp message from someone called Aminah, who claims she is the Head of Recruitment from the Human Resources team at Webqlo Digital.
“My company is hiring online part-time employees. Our work is simple and free, with a daily income of RM800+. Can I send you the job details?” she said, adding that the job can be done during our free time and she can explain the job scope better.
Out of curiosity, I said yes to learning about the job. “We specialise in Digital Marketing Services in Malaysia that includes Search Engine Optimization, subscriptions, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and Google Display Ads,” she stated.
She added that the daily job payment is RM200 to RM600, and the job scope is to increase the exposure of shops and eateries on YouTube.
With such unclear and confusing job scope, I already suspected this could be a scam. She continued asking if I was interested, and I replied, “Still don’t understand the job scope”.
“Here’s how it works. We reach out to shop, hotel, and tourism owners such as managers, fellow HRs, businessmen/women and commercial stores, and help them increase their visibility by giving them a survey, a rating of five stars and a review.”
“For this, we charge a fee from them for the services we provide so we can pay those who assist us in making them more recognised,” she responded.
Apparently, I had to subscribe to some YouTube channels and answer some surveys. This further confirmed my suspicion, as I have previously read about similar job scams where you must give reviews and feedback to certain companies.
She continued to ask if I was still there. I responded with, “Scammer?”.
At this point, she provided me with information about “her” company Webqlo, including the address, the registration number, and the official website to make it seem real. I quickly Googled and discovered this is a legit company in Malaysia.
But this is when I did more research instead of merely believing in her. I found out that the official Instagram of the company Webqlo has a post that warns the public about scammers posing as their team and recruiting part-time workers.
“Scammers are on the prowl. At WEBQLO, we do not engage in part-time odd jobs without any official documentation and appointments. Be careful when you look for a job.”
I messaged Webqlo’s Instagram with the screenshots of my conversation with “Aminah”. In response, they said: “We believe this is a scam as we are not hiring any online part-timers. We strongly suggest that you not continue the conversation with the person. Thanks”.
Remember to be more cautious when receiving messages that are recruiting part-time job workers and engaging in a conversation with them, as it is one of the common tactics used by scammers. Stay safe and stay alert!
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