Job ad scammers: “tasks for commission”, money mules and fake recruitment fees
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A person looking for extra income is the most convenient target for a scammer: they respond to the ad themselves, write first themselves and want to believe. That is why some scams start not with an SMS about a fine but with the words “we are looking for people to work from home”.
This article covers the three most common schemes, how to recognise them and why in one of them you risk not only your money but also criminal liability.
In short
- The employer pays the employee, not the other way round. A request to pay something, deposit something or “top up the balance” means a scam.
- An offer to receive money into your account and transfer it onward is the role of a money mule. The Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas, LB) warns that this carries criminal liability.
- Do not send a photo of your identity document or your bank details until there is a contract with a verified company.
1. “Tasks for commission”
- You receive a message via WhatsApp, Telegram or a social network: simple work on your phone, a few hours a day.
- The tasks really are simple – click, rate, “confirm an order”. On the first day a small sum is even transferred to your account.
- Then “better” tasks appear, for which you have to pay in money yourself: “top up the balance”, “buy out the order”, “unlock a higher level”.
- The account shows growing earnings, but to withdraw them you have to pay in more.
- When the person stops, the account is blocked.
The essence is the same as with fake investment platforms: the numbers on the screen grow, but the money travels in one direction only. The first small payout is not earnings but bait.
A real case from the police report
In October 2026 in Tauragė a man (born in 2001) agreed with a person through an app on a “deposit multiplication” service, transferred 360 € and did not receive the agreed profit.
2. Money mules: “transfer it through your account”
The ad offers a job as a “money transfer agent”, “finance assistant” or “payments administrator”: client payments will arrive in your account, you will keep a part and transfer the rest onward. LB calls such people money mules – for a fee they “lend” their account for transferring or cashing out illegally obtained money.
LB sets out how to recognise such an offer:
- an ad on a job portal, in a closed Facebook group, or a personal message by email or via WhatsApp, Viber;
- a foreign company is looking for “local representatives” or “agents”, the tasks are not described but are related to passing on money or goods;
- you are assured that the activity is completely risk-free, and promised more pay for friends you bring in;
- the text contains mistakes, and the email address is not on the company's domain but on a free email platform.
How it ends
| Consequence | What the Bank of Lithuania states |
|---|---|
| Criminal liability | Ignorance does not exempt from liability – many mules do not know they are taking part in money laundering |
| Financial consequences | Financial institutions may, for a certain time or altogether, stop providing a loan, leasing, a card or an account |
| Pressure | Mules may face blackmail, threats or even physical violence |
| Losses | In one story described by the Bank of Lithuania, a woman who realised she had been exploited repaid other victims about 2 thousand euros from her own funds |
In that story the young woman believed she had been hired as a bookkeeper: she received payments from “the company's clients” and, for a 10 percent fee, transferred them to an account in Malta. It turned out these were people's deposits for cars that nobody intended to sell.
If you suspect you have become a mule, LB advises you to immediately stop the operations you were instructed to carry out and to notify your bank and the police.
3. Recruitment fees and data harvesting
- A fee “for registration”, training, work tools or a shipment of materials. Once you pay, another fee appears or the “employer” disappears.
- A photo of your identity document “for the contract”. With it and your personal identification number, someone may try to open an account or take out credit in your name.
- Smart-ID confirmation “for hiring”. For genuine hiring you never confirm a bank login.
- A cheque or transfer that is “too much”. A larger sum is sent and you are asked to return the difference – later the first payment is reversed.
Why it works
These schemes target not naivety but a situation. In the stories described by LB, those who became money mules were a single mother looking for work and the daughter of a seriously ill woman who needed money for medicine. Both found the ads on social networks, and to both the terms simply seemed convenient.
- A small first step. At first nothing risky is asked for – just to reply, register, complete one task.
- A real first payment. A few euros in your account create trust that later is enough for hundreds.
- The group. In a Telegram chat, other “workers” share screenshots of payouts. These are usually the same scammers.
- Money already put in. The more you have paid in, the harder it is to stop – you want to “at least get your own back”.
How to tell a genuine offer
| Genuine job | Scam |
|---|---|
| The company can be checked at the Centre of Registers (Registrų centras), it has a website and contact details | Only a name in an app, the company is “abroad” |
| An interview, questions about experience | Hired immediately, no experience needed |
| A written contract before you start | There is no contract, or it will appear “later” |
| Pay for work done | Pay for depositing, transferring or bringing in others |
| Communication via the company's email | Only Telegram or WhatsApp, you are asked to delete the correspondence |
Before replying to an ad
- Check the company: name, code, website, whether the ad is on its own page.
- Ask exactly what the job is and under what contract – the answer must be specific.
- Pay nothing and accept nothing into your account.
- Give a copy of your document and your account number only when signing the contract.
If you have already fallen victim
- Cut off communication and do not transfer anything more.
- Call your bank – sometimes the payment can still be stopped. Block your card, change your passwords.
- Report to the police via epolicija.lt or by calling 112.
- Keep the evidence: messages, numbers, links, payment confirmations.
If money has already passed through your account, do not wait for the victims to come forward: notify the bank and the police yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Can a genuine employer ask you to pay for training or equipment?
Not in advance and not as a condition of getting the job. If you have to pay something before starting work, that is a sign of a scam.
I was sent money and asked to forward it to someone else. Can I keep my share?
No. That is money mule activity. Stop the operations and notify the bank and the police – LB stresses that ignorance does not exempt from liability.
I really was paid on the first day. Does that mean the job is genuine?
No. A small first payout is often meant to win your trust so that later you pay in more yourself.
I sent a photo of my passport. What should I do?
Notify your bank, monitor your accounts and contact the police if you notice contracts concluded or accounts opened in your name.
Where should I look for genuine extra work online?
Where the employer can be checked: on well-known job portals, on company websites, through acquaintances. The channel matters less than the rule – you do not have to pay anything.
Sources
- Lietuvos bankas. Pinigų mulai
https://www.lb.lt/lt/pinigu-mulai - Lietuvos bankas. Lietuvos bankas įspėja: būkite atsargūs – netapkite pinigų mulais
https://www.lb.lt/lt/naujienos/lietuvos-bankas-ispeja-bukite-atsargus-netapkite-pinigu-mulais - Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimo tarnyba. FNTT paaiškina: kas yra pinigų mulai ir kaip jais netapti
https://fntt.lrv.lt/lt/naujienos/fntt-paaiskina-kas-yra-pinigu-mulai-ir-kaip-jais-netapti/ - Lietuvos bankas. Investavimas: kaip atpažinti sukčius
https://www.lb.lt/lt/investavimas-kaip-atpazinti-sukcius - Lietuvos policija. Paros įvykių suvestinės
https://policija.lrv.lt/lt/ivykiu-suvestines/ - Lietuvos bankas. Pakliuvau sukčiams: ką daryti?
https://www.lb.lt/lt/pakliuvau-sukciams-ka-daryti
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