A few weeks ago, a lady sent me a message on Telegram. “I am the marketing director of ABCD Digital,” she introduced herself. Of course, “ABCD Digital” was the name she gave me. The actual name she gave me was the name of a legit company. The only difference when I googled the name was, the company I found online was “ABCD” Consult, whereas she mentioned “ABCD” Digital. I just didn’t think it meant anything.

She told me her company helps brands grow on Instagram. What they do is recruit people to contribute to the efforts in promoting the content of these brands. She then proceeded to offer me a part-time job I could do in my free time. According to her, I would earn between the range of GHS300–GHS1,100 per day for simply liking and reviewing Instagram pages.

It sounded like a sweet deal. Besides, I am a student who needed money to sort out some bills as the second semester was about to begin. So why wouldn’t I jump at the opportunity to work and make money?

First, she gave me two small “sample tasks,” to perform. I immediately earned GHS10 when I completed them. This gave me the impression that the job was real.

After taking that step, she moved me to the next stage, where I spoke to the receptionist. This receptionist explained that I would get 25 missions a day. “You will earn GHS5 for each mission but payment will only be issued if your income totals GHS300.”

I said I understood. All I needed was internet data and to make time for 25 tasks a day. Per my calculations, I would get paid after every three days, seeing as two days’ work would amount to GHS250. Which means, if I stayed committed to the tasks, GHS3,000 was coming my way every month. I was more than willing to get started.

The tasks were simple: like a page, and send a screenshot for proof of work. I did this until one mission required me to buy cryptocurrency. They encouraged me to do it. “If you pay GHS50, you will be rewarded with GHS65.”

I was sceptical, but they kept reassuring me that it was legit. In the end, I went for it. They weren’t lying, it worked. I got my money back with the extra GHS15 I was promised.

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Another time they asked me for another GHS50. I had built trust for them at this point so I didn’t ask questions or express doubts. I gave it to them and received GHS115 back. That’s how I slowly progressed to giving them GHS150 and got GHS45 back as a reward.

The last money I parted with was GHS300. They didn’t give me anything back when I sent it. Rather, they demanded that I pay an additional GHS999 to unlock a bigger payout of GHS1,390. They said the GHS300 I had already given them was used to buy cryptocurrency so they wouldn’t be able to refund it if I didn’t pay the additional money they requested. The whole thing felt off.

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It was at that moment that I realised I was being scammed. When I refused to give them any more money, they indeed didn’t pay my money back.

It took me falling victim to know that this is a classic crypto scam. They build trust with small payouts and then push you to send larger and larger amounts. I know I won’t get my money back, but I want to share my story so no one else falls victim to them. We are in difficult times and the thieves are getting more creative. If you are reading this, stay alert and protect your hard-earned money.

—Gina

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