An SMS from an 'Amazon' or 'YouTube' recruiter offers flexible tasks, then asks you to fund a crypto account
Scammers text claiming to be Amazon or YouTube recruiters with high-paying, flexible, task-based work from home. After moving to WhatsApp, you complete small tasks then must top up a crypto account with your own money to unlock commissions — and the money is never returned.
Also known as: Amazon recruiter SMS scam Australia, fake YouTube job offer Australia, task-based work from home scam, crypto task commission scam
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Do not respond to unsolicited SMS job offers from unknown numbers, especially those mentioning Amazon, YouTube, or flexible task work
- 2 Real employers never ask you to deposit or invest your own money before receiving a wage or commission
- 3 Verify any job offer by contacting the company directly through its official website — not the contact details in the message
- 4 If you have already transferred money, contact your bank immediately to report the fraud
- 5 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.
Red flags
- ⚠ An unsolicited SMS or WhatsApp message offers flexible, work-from-home 'task-based' or 'e-commerce assistant' roles with high pay
- ⚠ The message claims to be from a well-known company like Amazon or YouTube but comes from an ordinary mobile number
- ⚠ You are asked to move the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram — real recruiters use official company email
- ⚠ After completing initial tasks, you are told to set up a cryptocurrency account and 'top up' your own funds to unlock commissions
- ⚠ Early small payments are made to build your trust before larger top-up demands arrive
- ⚠ Amazon only hires through amazon.jobs using official @amazon.com email addresses
Known variants
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Corporate identity impersonation: scammers use real employee names from LinkedIn to pose as a bank or finance firm recruiter via a Gmail account ('[firmname][email protected]'). Targets professional job seekers to collect identity documents as part of a fake 'pre-employment screen'. Goal is identity theft, not a real job.
Last seen: 10/1/2026