Trainwage

Scam alert

AI training job scams

Real AI training work never makes you pay. Scammers copy the hype with “task” jobs that show fake earnings and then ask for a deposit to withdraw, fake recruiters on WhatsApp and Telegram, and copies of real platforms. The FTC says task-scam reports went from about 5,000 in all of 2023 to about 20,000 in the first half of 2024.

Pay-to-unlock task jobs (task scams)

An unexpected text, WhatsApp or Telegram message offers easy online work, such as rating products or apps or liking videos, done on a website or app the scammer controls. A dashboard shows commissions piling up and small early payouts build trust, but soon you must deposit your own money, usually cryptocurrency, to unlock more tasks or to withdraw, and that money is not returned. The FTC says the earnings shown on screen are not real.

Warning signs

  • A job message you never applied for arrives by text, WhatsApp or Telegram, with pay mentioned but no real job details.
  • You are hired at once, with no real interview and no request for references.
  • The work is simple, repeated clicking described with jargon like app optimization or product boosting.
  • Tasks come in sets or levels, and a special task can push your balance negative until you top it up.
  • You must deposit money, often crypto, to unlock tasks or withdraw your earnings.
  • A coach, a customer-service chat or a group of other workers keeps urging you to deposit more.
  • You are told not to tell your bank or crypto exchange what the money is for.

What to do

Stop sending money: "Never pay anyone to get paid" (FTC). Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov with any transaction details, ask your bank or exchange to try to reverse payments, and ignore anyone who offers to recover lost crypto for a fee.

Sources: ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · ic3.gov · fbi.gov · bbb.org · bbb.org · ag.ny.gov · bbb.org · consumer.ftc.gov · dataannotation.tech · appen.com

Fake recruiters using a real AI-training company's name

Someone claiming to recruit for a real company, including AI data firms, contacts you by text, WhatsApp, Telegram, LinkedIn or email, often from a personal address, offering well-paid remote work. They move fast, sometimes sending an offer and paperwork before any interview, then ask for money (fees, equipment, deposits) or for your ID and bank details. AI-data firms such as DataAnnotation, Appen, TELUS Digital and Mercor say real contact comes only through their official channels and that they never charge workers.

Warning signs

  • A job offer arrives that you never applied for, often a vague remote role quoting daily or weekly pay.
  • A text asks you to reply YES or INTERESTED instead of applying on the company's own site.
  • The sender uses Gmail, Yahoo or another address that is not the company's own domain.
  • The whole process happens in a chat app; CrowdGen (Appen) and Handshake say they do not send official messages over WhatsApp.
  • You get an offer and paperwork before any real interview, and the recruiter dodges questions about the job.
  • You are asked to pay anything to apply, start or keep working.

What to do

Do not reply or click; go to the company's own website, apply there, and check the sender against the contact addresses the company publishes. Report the message at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov, and tell the company whose name was used.

Sources: consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · ic3.gov · bbb.org · bbb.org · dataannotation.tech · appen.com · crowdgen.com · linkedin.com · talent.docs.mercor.com · defined.ai · ai-support.joinhandshake.com

Lookalike websites and task apps

Scammers send a link to a website or app dressed up as a real company, sometimes using the real name with extra letters or a different ending, where you register, upload documents or watch fake earnings grow. New York's Attorney General described fake sites imitating legitimate brands in a remote-job crypto scam, and BBB Scam Tracker reports describe a fake DataAnnotation-style task site and a fake Appen USA hiring site.

Warning signs

  • The link came from a recruiter in a chat, and you need an invitation code to join.
  • The web address is not on the company's own list of official domains.
  • Signing up takes little more than a phone number, with no skills test or real application.
  • Your balance grows on screen but you cannot withdraw it without paying.
  • The site asks for ID, Social Security or bank details outside the company's real logged-in platform.

What to do

Type the company's address yourself, compare it with the official domains the company lists, and never enter personal or banking details on any other domain. Report the site at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov and to the company.

Sources: ag.ny.gov · fbi.gov · ic3.gov · bbb.org · bbb.org · bbb.org · ftc.gov · appen.com · talent.docs.mercor.com · dataannotation.tech · ai-support.joinhandshake.com

Fake check for equipment (send back the rest)

After a quick hire, the employer sends you a check and tells you to buy equipment or supplies with it and send back what is left, or asks you to pay for equipment yourself and promises to reimburse you. The check is fake and bounces, the bank holds you responsible for the full amount, and the reimbursement never comes.

Warning signs

  • A check arrives before you have done any real work.
  • You are told to buy supplies, equipment or gift cards with it and return the leftover money.
  • You are asked to pay for equipment by cash, Zelle or PayPal with a promise of reimbursement.
  • You are told the check has cleared, so the money is safe to spend.
  • The check claims to come from a company that says it never sends checks in advance (Appen and CrowdGen both say this).

What to do

Do not deposit a check from a new employer or send any money back; if you already did, contact your bank or payment app at once and ask to reverse the transfer. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Sources: consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · appen.com · crowdgen.com

Fees for training, certification, starter kits or sign-up

You are told the job is yours once you pay for training, a certificate, a starter kit, software, or a registration or placement fee. The FTC says people who pay end up with useless kits, training or certificates instead of income; in one BBB Scam Tracker report, a fake Appen USA recruiter charged for a certification and then pushed software purchases.

Warning signs

  • You must pay before you can apply, start or keep working.
  • A certification or training fee appears right after a quick chat interview.
  • A placement or staffing service wants an upfront fee.
  • Big monthly earnings are promised for little time or effort.
  • You are told the fee will be refunded or reimbursed later.

What to do

Do not pay for the promise of a job; Mercor, DataAnnotation, TELUS Digital, Defined.ai and Appen all say they never charge workers. If you paid, ask your bank or payment app to reverse it, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.

Sources: consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · bbb.org · talent.docs.mercor.com · dataannotation.tech · linkedin.com · defined.ai · appen.com

Fake onboarding that collects your ID and bank details

A fake recruiter or site runs an onboarding step that asks for photos of your driver's license or Social Security card, your Social Security number, bank account details or a tax form, often by chat, email or an online form and before any real interview or contract. The FTC says these fake recruiters are after your personal information, your money, or both.

Warning signs

  • You are asked for your driver's license, Social Security number or bank account before you have been interviewed and hired.
  • The request comes through a Google Form, a chat message or an email rather than the company's own platform.
  • You are asked for bank information just to apply.
  • Someone wants financial details while you are not logged in to the platform.
  • Your personal information, not your skills, becomes the focus of the interview.

What to do

Share ID and bank details only inside the company's own logged-in platform or its named verification partner. If you already sent them, use IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan, tell your bank, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Sources: consumer.ftc.gov · consumer.ftc.gov · bbb.org · identitytheft.gov · ai-support.joinhandshake.com · dataannotation.tech · linkedin.com · appen.com · talent.docs.mercor.com · defined.ai

Selling, renting or stealing AI-training accounts

In Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram groups, people sell or rent so-called verified accounts on AI-training platforms, sell answers to screening tests, or ask real workers to let someone else work their account for a cut. Business Insider found posts from buyers who paid and were blocked or were handed logins that were never registered, and the platforms ban account reselling. Business Insider also reported fake promotion emails sent to contractors to steal their logins.

Warning signs

  • Someone offers a verified account, or a way around country limits, for a fee or a share of your pay.
  • The seller wants payment in crypto or through a wallet app.
  • Strangers message you after you pass a screening test, asking to buy or use your account.
  • An email about a promotion or a new job asks for your platform login.
  • Answers to onboarding tests are offered for sale.

What to do

Do not buy, rent or share an account: the platforms ban it, and buyers have reported losing their money. Never give your login to anyone, and report requests for it to the platform's support team.

Sources: ca.finance.yahoo.com · algorithmwatch.org · crowdgen.com · talent.docs.mercor.com

Lost money? Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov, and call your bank. Looking for real work? See the verified programs.