As more people look for new ways to make money online, you must understand that the good and the bad are also surfing the internet in search of various online money-making opportunities. While you may go online to do legitimate business, others may be there to dupe you of your hard-earned money.
To fraudsters, scamming is a side hustle, and they have various ways to get people defrauded. They may present job opportunities or alternative ways internet users can make money. However, they end up duping their victims.
While it remains true that there are countless ways you can have a side hustle online that pays better than even some 9 to 5 jobs, there are also many scams to be wary of. Today, we will unveil 4 of the most notorious ones. Let’s dive in!
The 4 Most Notorious Side Hustle Scams on the Internet
After thorough research, we’ve put together some of the most dangerous ways fraudsters defraud people looking for extra sources of income online.
Here they are:
1. Content Writing Scam
Lucky you if you are a content writer and have not been defrauded yet. Many freelancers have fallen prey to tricksters.
There are various ways this happens, but the most common way is that you will see an ad from a company looking for a content writer. When you show interest, you will be told that you need to undergo an interview. This is expected, of course.
Toward the end of the interview stage, you will be asked to do a test article or test editing. As soon as you submit the article, they will not respond, and your subsequent messages will be ignored. This means that you have helped them do a free job.
To avoid this trick, always work with legit freelance content writing companies like Upwork, Fiverr, and Guru, where money can be deposited in your Escrow or SafePay account before you start the job. With this, you are sure your money will be released when you finish the project.
If the client is unwilling to deposit your virtual account on the platform, don’t proceed with the job. The chances that the client is a fraud are very high. Also, you can run a background check on any person you find suspicious on Nuwber to find their professional details, contact information, social media profiles, and other useful information.
2. Cryptocurrency Scam
Many people have claimed that cryptocurrency made them millionaires or billionaires. However, the reality is that plenty of people have been duped after investing their money in the crypto side hustle. While we are not disputing that some people have made money this way, this side hustle is prone to scams, and it’s hard to know when it is legitimate.
You may see ads on the internet on how promising it is to have cryptocurrency as an online side hustle, with many testimonials from people making it a huge deal. However, in reality, that is not the case. There have been cases of people losing thousands of dollars to such schemes.
If you must have a cryptocurrency as a side hustle, then you should take the time to learn all you need to know before investing.
3. Mystery Shopper Scam
If you love shopping, being a mystery shopper for a company will be a dream come true. You are doing what you love and getting paid for something you normally do for free. Even if you do not like shopping, the money paid is a good motivation for a side hustle.
Unfortunately, con artists have duped many people through mystery shopping scams. The method they use is quite simple: They send you a certain amount via check to cover your shopping expenses. You are supposed to deposit the check in the bank so that your account is credited with money. But before you even get to the bank or the bank clears the check, they will send you a message asking you to test the money transfer service of the shop you are supposed to use. You then send them your money and never hear from them.
They are so calculative, ensuring you get the check at night and telling you that you are to do the shopping that night. They may even apologize for the check reaching you late, but those are all their tactics. In the end, you lose your money, and if the check gets to the bank before you know you have been duped, you will also have some explaining to do to the authorities.
To avoid this fraudulent scheme, verify the authenticity of every check before sending any money.
4. Clickbait Scam
Clickbait scams capitalize on internet users’ desire to get an extra source of income. They advertise a job opportunity with a catchy inscription that is too good to be true. The user quickly jumps on the opportunity to make money online, only to see a different thing when he/she gets to the webpage.
The intention of the defrauder placing job ads is not to get the person to send money in the usual form but to generate web traffic on a particular page and increase ad revenue.
In other instances, you may leave traces of your digital footprint on the page. They later sell this information to companies or individuals who need it. This type of ad is more common on social media platforms.
Check the comments before clicking when you see ads with too good-to-be-true inscriptions. If the ad is a con, one or two people must have said something about it in the comments, so you will not need to visit the website by clicking the ad.
Final Thoughts
So many online side hustles are paying big, real money, but fraudsters are ruining things for the good guys.