Editor's NoteIn an era where 650,000 people are engaged in side jobs, many who started side work to supplement their livelihoods are losing hope after falling victim to scams disguised as legitimate opportunities. These side job scams skillfully evade government and platform monitoring, resulting in a growing number of victims. The Asia Business Daily is following the spread of side job scams and the suffering of those affected.
Reporter’s Direct Inquiry
"Hello, are you interested in a side job?"
On the 28th of last month, a message arrived via KakaoTalk to a reporter from The Asia Business Daily.
After the reporter saw a post on the social networking service Instagram and reached out via KakaoTalk,
a reply came just two hours later.
Curious about how money could be made, the reporter responded without hesitation.
"Yes, I am interested."
Searching 'side job' on Instagram yields 2.05 million posts
An Instagram post related to side jobs that a reporter from this publication directly contacted on the 28th of last month. The post advertises that you can easily make a lot of money using a mobile phone. Instagram
원본보기 아이콘Last month, the reporter began researching side jobs through Instagram.
A search for '#sidejob' brings up a total of 2.05 million posts.
Even searching for '#sidejob inquiry' yields about 510,000 posts,
making it clear that finding side jobs on social media is not difficult.
Most of these posts follow a similar pattern.
First, they guarantee an amount far exceeding a regular salary. For example, they promise 5 million won per month from side jobs alone.
They also promise that earnings will be deposited as cash immediately.
Second, the method of making money is described as easy. The initial investment is low, and it requires little time.
They emphasize that all you need is a mobile phone, and all profits are generated automatically.
One phrase from a side job account stood out: "A more comfortable life with just one phone."
Posts also include screenshots of conversations with presumed existing participants.
When a participant said, "I never imagined such high returns. I started with 7 million won and my net profit exceeded 80 million won,"
the side job account replied, "Congratulations on your earnings. You can withdraw the full amount right now."
"If you get involved in a crime, I’ll take responsibility"-Pushing for gambling site registration
A reporter from this publication contacted a side job opportunity through Instagram. When actually reached out, they redirected to another consultation channel. KakaoTalk screenshot
원본보기 아이콘When the reporter contacted the KakaoTalk profile listed in the Instagram account profile,
the other party asked for the reporter's Instagram ID and began a verification process.
After verifying Instagram, a new KakaoTalk profile named 'Hello' was provided.
"If you contact me here, I’ll explain in detail. This is a 24-hour consultation chat."
The reporter inquired about a side job through Instagram. The consultant explained that by charging points, one could earn profits through gambling games such as roulette. KakaoTalk screenshot
원본보기 아이콘Upon contacting 'Hello,' a reply came within a minute.
"Is this your first time with a side job?" When the reporter said it was, they introduced a side job called 'same-day payment.'
When asked how the profits are generated,
they explained that by charging points, a roulette expert would generate profits through online roulette games.
The minimum initial amount is 1 million won, and they emphasized that profits could be 5 to 8 times the principal.
When asked if it was possible to charge 10 million won, they changed their answer, saying that in such cases, profits could reach up to 10 times the principal.
They also claimed there was no risk of losing money.
They insisted that they must generate profits because they take a 20% commission from the earnings.
They added that even if there were any disadvantages such as criminal involvement, they would take full responsibility.
The website provided by the consultant. Upon accessing, an internet site related to gambling appeared. Screenshot of the internet screen
원본보기 아이콘Trusting this, when the reporter said they would invest 1 million won, a new website was shown.
It was a gambling site where you could play roulette games in real time.
The site only had simple functions such as deposit request, withdrawal request, money transfer, and announcements.
The other party urged that you must register as a member on this site to make money through the side job.
When the reporter did not respond, they asked again if registration was complete. After that, there was no further contact.
'Side Job Scams' on TikTok as well... Fake financial websites also created
The search for side jobs continued on another social media platform.
Even on TikTok, which is mainly used by younger people, posts suspected to be side job scams were easy to find.
On TikTok, the total number of posts for specific search terms is not shown,
but popular videos rise to the top as more people view them.
When searching for 'side job' on TikTok, the most popular posts are about 'hand side jobs.'
'Hand side jobs' refer to simple, manual work-from-home jobs such as packaging toys at home.
These posts also emphasize phrases like "No initial investment required" and "Many hands needed."
Popular side job posts captured from TikTok on the 20th. They advertise packaging work at 500 won per piece as a work-from-home side job. However, if you contact them through the profile, they introduce video capture side jobs instead of packaging work. TikTok
원본보기 아이콘The reporter watched the top side job video post.
It was a packaging side job that paid 500 won per piece. As a popular video, it received a lot of engagement.
People commented that they wanted to apply for the side job.
To apply, the reporter contacted the Line ID listed in the profile.
Upon reaching out via Line, an account named 'OOO Consultant' appeared.
The consultant sent the reporter a YouTube vlog of a Japanese person's daily life, which was unrelated to packaging or hand side jobs.
They explained that by capturing screenshots of this video and sending them, you could earn between 1,000 and 8,000 won per task.
"If you want to keep earning money from this work, you must register a dedicated account."
The consultant urged the reporter to sign up using the link provided if they wanted to continue working.
Clicking the link brought up a landing page that appeared to be the internet-only bank Toss Bank.
Upon closer inspection, the page was poorly made, with incorrect spelling and spacing.
After registering, you could access a dashboard showing cash withdrawal records, recharge records, and cryptocurrency prices.
This is not a problem unique to Toss Bank.
In September, the Financial Supervisory Service also warned about scams that set up fake websites impersonating financial companies to induce remittances.
After registration, the consultant welcomed the reporter as a new colleague.
"Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to work with you."
Thriving on Telegram as well... Trick victims into thinking they can receive large sums after depositing money
The stage then shifted to a Telegram account.
The consultant sent a link to a Telegram group chat.
The group's 'video manager' immediately posted a video link and asked participants to capture and send screenshots.
After sending the screenshots, the reporter earned 5,000 won. The same amount was credited on the site impersonating Toss Bank.
By capturing two videos in this way, the reporter earned a total of 9,000 won in just one hour.
At 12 PM, a 'high-yield mission' began.
If you deposited 50,000 won, you would receive 65,000 won; if you deposited 10 million won, you would receive 14 million won in return.
Only new members could deposit up to 100,000 won, while others had to deposit at least 300,000 won.
As a result, everyone began sharing the amounts they were depositing and certifying their deposit records.
"300,000 won." "500,000 won." "100,000 won." In this so-called 'mission certification,' large sums of money quickly piled up.
The side job schedule provided by the agent. High-income tasks (missions) that can earn a large amount of money were conducted at 12 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM. Telegram
원본보기 아이콘When the reporter asked to participate in the high-yield mission,
"Just work like the others in the group. This is high-quality, high-paying work," the consultant replied, sending a work schedule.
High-yield missions, where you could earn large sums, opened at 12 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM.
They also explained that once the work was completed, you could immediately withdraw both your investment and profits.
However, the method of generating profits was vague.
The operator claimed to be preparing to list a cryptocurrency on an exchange,
which required increasing trading volume by collecting funds from many people,
and that the profits generated in this process would be distributed as commissions.
A consultant explaining the profit generation method and deposit procedure for a high-yield project. The consultant continuously insisted on making deposits through automated teller machines (ATMs) and internet banking rather than at bank counters. Telegram
원본보기 아이콘When the reporter said they would try with just 50,000 won, an account number was provided for the deposit.
However, they explained that transfers could only be made via automated teller machines (ATMs) or internet banking,
and that transfers at bank counters were strictly prohibited.
When asked again if it was possible to transfer at a bank counter, the same answer was repeated.
"Bank counter transfers are prohibited."
As the questions continued, the consultant asked the reporter to send a photo of their resident registration card and mobile phone number.
They claimed this was necessary to verify identity in order to participate in the high-yield mission.
When the reporter delayed responding, they were removed from the Telegram group chat.
Even after clicking the link to rejoin, access was denied.
SNS has become a hotbed for side job scams... No one is safe
Victims point to social media as a hotbed for side job scams.
Yoo Daewoong (35, male), who lost about 40 million won to a side job scam after watching a hand side job video on TikTok,
"I had been working in delivery and courier services for seven years, and while taking a break, I tried a side job to earn a little extra money," he said,
"I didn't even search for side job videos directly. I was scammed while watching videos recommended by the algorithm."
Side job scams on social media do not discriminate by age or gender.
Even minors have fallen victim.
A middle school student, identified as A (16), got caught up in a side job scam after seeing a free cosmetics ad on Instagram.
A said, "They told me to do a side job capturing and sending videos if I wanted to receive free cosmetics,"
"While following their instructions, I was told to complete a mission and ended up depositing a total of 400,000 won.
When I asked for my money back, I was eventually blocked," she explained.
IndexThe Pitfall of Side Jobs
- They Promised Money for Packaging Dolls... Lost Money Without Ever Receiving the Dolls
- "100% Profit Guarantee" on SNS Is a "100% Losing Gamble"
- Side Job Scam Victims Left With Nowhere to Turn... Ultimately Give Up on Recovery
- Are Side Jobs Not Considered Voice Phishing? "Excluded If There Is a Quid Pro Quo"
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Reporter Kong Byeongseon mydillon@asiae.co.kr
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Edit Kim Boram kbram6457@asiae.co.kr
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
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