West Mercia Police issue warning over online job scams

The force said: “It will all sound so simple, almost too good to be true? You get a text, email or even a phone call offering amazing daily rates of pay. Some may want you to simply review products, or like or share videos or posts. All in your own time and working from home.

“They will very soon move you onto sites such as WhatsApp or Telegram, and you may meet other so-called members of a group online with convincing stories of how they are making money. 

“The scam then builds up slowly, you may be asked to download an App to your phone which may access sensitive data on your phone”.

The force offered the following advice to help people protect themselves from being scammed. 

They added: “Any advert that tells you that you can sit back and let a business run itself is a good sign that fraudsters are at work.

“Be wary of paying money in advance. Most legitimate employers would not require you to pay anything to start working for them.

“If you’ve got involved with a scheme you suspect is fraudulent, keep any relevant letters, emails or documents as evidence. Don’t get other people involved.

“The main thing the criminals are trying to do is to get hold of your personal details so beware of giving out personal details such as date of birth, bank details or copies of ID documents such as Driving Licences which they can use to gain loans, new credit cards and more – all in your name.”