Published September 12, 2026 · 2 min read
Amount lost
$18,200
Amount recovered
$14,600
Duration
4 months
Tyler was messaged out of the blue on WhatsApp with an offer for flexible, work-from-home task work, rating and 'boosting' product listings for an online retailer. The recruiter was friendly and patient, and the app he was asked to install looked like a legitimate freelance platform.
The first few tasks were free and paid out immediately, small amounts that landed in Tyler's account within minutes. His dashboard balance climbed steadily as he completed more tasks, and the quick, real payouts early on made everything that followed feel credible.
Eventually Tyler was assigned a 'premium' task that required him to pay a deposit to unlock a much larger commission. Each deposit unlocked a bigger balance he still couldn't withdraw, and each stall came with a new fee needed to 'release' the funds. In total, he paid in $18,200 before he stopped.
When Tyler came to us, our investigation team traced the payment trail and the platform's ownership, and built the evidence needed to escalate the case with his bank. Through that process, we helped recover $14,600 of what he'd paid in.
No. That balance isn't real money, it's a number designed to keep you paying in. Stop making any further deposits, regardless of what the app shows.
No. Losing contact with the recruiter doesn't prevent us from tracing the payment trail and building your case.
Yes. Smaller individual amounts are often part of a much larger scheme affecting many people, and reporting can matter for group action even when a single case is modest.
It depends on how quickly it's reported and the provider's own policies, but it's always worth a free eligibility check rather than assuming nothing can be done.
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