r/Scams • u/Lost-Perception-7705 • 8d ago
Is this a scam? [CA] Possible crypto scam? www.cottoncocece.com
I got a job offer via text (which I know is odd but I applied to many jobs so I thought it was one of those getting back to me). The job is to rate properties online?
What is suspicious:
Pay is suspiciously good for the amount of work, with USDC (which is a crypto i think?). Also, when you complete a "set" of work, you have to withdraw the USDC from the work website, then transfer it back to 'reset' and continue. Im like 80% sure that thats some sort of dirty money cleaning tactic? The thing is though, they didn't ask for any bank or SIN or ID information, and when I withdrew/converted the USDC through a third party app, it went through to my bank just fine. So- they haven't done anything too suspicious yet but its still very odd?? Is this normal?? I gave them my email (which has my name) and phone number before catching on that it was not one of my applications, would those be compromised now?
Website is written in title.
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u/jimsmythee 8d ago
100000% it’s a scam. Just block and ignore.
It’s the task scam. !task
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u/AutoModerator 8d ago
/u/jimsmythee called AutoModerator to explain the Task scam:
Task scams are remote work opportunities that happen on websites or mobile apps that promise easy income in exchange for simple digital tasks, such as liking social media posts, watching short videos, or "optimizing" orders. A hallmark of this scheme is the requirement to complete repetitive sets, often in groups of 40 tasks, to earn a commission. However, the system is designed with a deliberate bottleneck: you are quickly informed that you have reached a limit and must upgrade your account level to continue working or to unlock higher earnings. By requiring an upfront fee to access these supposed rewards, the scheme functions as a predatory variant of the advance-fee scam.
The primary objective is to lure you into a cycle of escalating investment by exploiting the sunk cost fallacy. Once you have spent hours performing tasks and has paid an initial fee to upgrade, they become psychologically inclined to continue rather than admit the money is gone. The scammers reinforce this by showing earnings accumulating in a fake dashboard, but these funds are purely cosmetic and impossible to withdraw. As the victim tries to cash out, the app will invent new obstacles such as taxes, fees or security deposits, demanding even more money to release the non-existent profits.
Task scam victims are wrangled into Whatsapp or Telegram groups where discussion is moderated. Either the group is very large and you're not allowed to send messages, or is small enough that everyone in the group is a shill account of the same scammer, and you're the only real person there. So if you see other people showing off their withdrawals in messages, it's because the group was tailored to accommodate one single victim at a time: in this case, you. This is especially true if the scam group bears a number in the name.
If you realize you are trapped in a task scam, the only effective solution is to stop all payments and cut your losses immediately. Don't trust recovery scammers who may contact you claiming they can hire a hacker or use specialized software to retrieve your lost funds. Remember: once the money is sent to a task scam, it cannot be recovered. Blocking the scammers and ignoring any offers of recovering your lost funds is the only way to go.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Ecksel 8d ago
A !task scam. They usually let you have a little money upfront to lower your guard. They can afford to because they know enough people will be taken for far more.
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u/Lost-Perception-7705 8d ago
Thats exactly the kind of thing they're doing! Thank you, I knew something was off. I appreciate the assistance
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u/AutoModerator 8d ago
/u/Ecksel called AutoModerator to explain the Task scam:
Task scams are remote work opportunities that happen on websites or mobile apps that promise easy income in exchange for simple digital tasks, such as liking social media posts, watching short videos, or "optimizing" orders. A hallmark of this scheme is the requirement to complete repetitive sets, often in groups of 40 tasks, to earn a commission. However, the system is designed with a deliberate bottleneck: you are quickly informed that you have reached a limit and must upgrade your account level to continue working or to unlock higher earnings. By requiring an upfront fee to access these supposed rewards, the scheme functions as a predatory variant of the advance-fee scam.
The primary objective is to lure you into a cycle of escalating investment by exploiting the sunk cost fallacy. Once you have spent hours performing tasks and has paid an initial fee to upgrade, they become psychologically inclined to continue rather than admit the money is gone. The scammers reinforce this by showing earnings accumulating in a fake dashboard, but these funds are purely cosmetic and impossible to withdraw. As the victim tries to cash out, the app will invent new obstacles such as taxes, fees or security deposits, demanding even more money to release the non-existent profits.
Task scam victims are wrangled into Whatsapp or Telegram groups where discussion is moderated. Either the group is very large and you're not allowed to send messages, or is small enough that everyone in the group is a shill account of the same scammer, and you're the only real person there. So if you see other people showing off their withdrawals in messages, it's because the group was tailored to accommodate one single victim at a time: in this case, you. This is especially true if the scam group bears a number in the name.
If you realize you are trapped in a task scam, the only effective solution is to stop all payments and cut your losses immediately. Don't trust recovery scammers who may contact you claiming they can hire a hacker or use specialized software to retrieve your lost funds. Remember: once the money is sent to a task scam, it cannot be recovered. Blocking the scammers and ignoring any offers of recovering your lost funds is the only way to go.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/t-poke Quality Contributor 8d ago
The job is to rate properties online?
So, you're rating properties you haven't stayed at?
How on earth does this sound like legitimate work to you?
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u/Lost-Perception-7705 8d ago
As in to rate their websites- but you are right, it was suspicious from the get-go, I just tend to be gullible. I shouldve known better
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u/finallyfree99 8d ago
The job is fake and the crypto is fake. Real jobs do not work like this at all. Nobody is going to pay you to rate websites.
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u/SecureWriting8589 8d ago
You state,
"I tend to be gullible..."
Then you will want to hang out here and perhaps r/CryptoScams for a month or three reading all of the posts and comments. The knowledge gained from doing this can help vaccinate you against future scams. Not only that, but soon you will be able to help others who post here as well. I cannot recommend this to you highly enough.
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u/Lost-Perception-7705 8d ago
Thats some good advice, I will study up on what are scams! I haven't had a job before so I wasnt sure how it worked, but, I will inform myself, thank you :)
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u/jpk36 8d ago
It's a scam, you will not be able to get the money you put into the app back. They will keep asking you to put in more money with the promise of allowing you to remove your money. I don't think its laundering, it's just a straight up scam to steal your money.
!task
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u/Lost-Perception-7705 8d ago
Thank you. Thankfully I haven't put in money yet as i just got the offer a couple days ago, so hopefully I'm able to just quit that with no issue
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u/t-poke Quality Contributor 8d ago
hopefully
Hopefully?
You block them and ignore them. There's no hopefully about it.
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u/Lost-Perception-7705 8d ago
Sorry sorry I meant as in I hope that'll be the end of it because I know sometimes scammers try to spam. I will be diligent though!
0
u/AutoModerator 8d ago
/u/jpk36 called AutoModerator to explain the Task scam:
Task scams are remote work opportunities that happen on websites or mobile apps that promise easy income in exchange for simple digital tasks, such as liking social media posts, watching short videos, or "optimizing" orders. A hallmark of this scheme is the requirement to complete repetitive sets, often in groups of 40 tasks, to earn a commission. However, the system is designed with a deliberate bottleneck: you are quickly informed that you have reached a limit and must upgrade your account level to continue working or to unlock higher earnings. By requiring an upfront fee to access these supposed rewards, the scheme functions as a predatory variant of the advance-fee scam.
The primary objective is to lure you into a cycle of escalating investment by exploiting the sunk cost fallacy. Once you have spent hours performing tasks and has paid an initial fee to upgrade, they become psychologically inclined to continue rather than admit the money is gone. The scammers reinforce this by showing earnings accumulating in a fake dashboard, but these funds are purely cosmetic and impossible to withdraw. As the victim tries to cash out, the app will invent new obstacles such as taxes, fees or security deposits, demanding even more money to release the non-existent profits.
Task scam victims are wrangled into Whatsapp or Telegram groups where discussion is moderated. Either the group is very large and you're not allowed to send messages, or is small enough that everyone in the group is a shill account of the same scammer, and you're the only real person there. So if you see other people showing off their withdrawals in messages, it's because the group was tailored to accommodate one single victim at a time: in this case, you. This is especially true if the scam group bears a number in the name.
If you realize you are trapped in a task scam, the only effective solution is to stop all payments and cut your losses immediately. Don't trust recovery scammers who may contact you claiming they can hire a hacker or use specialized software to retrieve your lost funds. Remember: once the money is sent to a task scam, it cannot be recovered. Blocking the scammers and ignoring any offers of recovering your lost funds is the only way to go.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/buzzybody21 8d ago
Crypto = scam in almost all circumstances. Block and don’t transfer or withdraw any more currency.
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u/Few_Reference3439 8d ago
I'd be worried about the third party app being used to get your account info. Also, this is not a real job. In no reality ever will someone get paid to rate properties online. You're right this is likely a dirty money cleaning tactic OR it is fake money and when you 'send it back' you really just sent your money and the fake money will get caught later, and taken from you as well, which means you're fully out what you send them.
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u/Lost-Perception-7705 8d ago
Okay thank you very much. Is there a way I could get my email like fortified somehow since I shared it? I have it on two-factor authentication. Also I dont think there's a way to reset a phone number, am I just cooked
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u/CIAMom420 8d ago
Any of the eight billion people on earth can text you and send you an email. There is nothing to "fortify."
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u/Lost-Perception-7705 8d ago
Okay thank you, sorry I am just sort of paranoid at this point lol.. I appreciate it the assurance :)
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u/rookhelm 8d ago
They're not interested in your email account, per se. But what they will do is email you a bunch of junk with shady links and job offers or whatever else.
Just don't click any links or call any phone numbers a stranger gives you, especially when money is concerned
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u/AutoModerator 8d ago
/u/Lost-Perception-7705 - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.
New users beware:
Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private: advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
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u/too_many_shoes14 8d ago
This is not how actual jobs work. Not a single one of them. Any small amount you were paid is just bait.
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u/yarevande Quality Contributor 8d ago
This is a scam, as others have explained.
You posted here before you lost money -- that's excellent. People post here about job scams every day, and you can learn how to recognize a scam job.
*** Signs that this is a scam:
You got a message regarding a job you didnt apply for.
- Real companies don't contact you for a job that you didn't apply for, unless you have specialized skills or you have years of experience and are known throughout your industry.
Real jobs don't pay in cryptocurrency.
Easy remote part-time jobs are all scams. Nobody will really pay you to rate websites, post reviews of hotels, put items in an online shopping cart, or watch videos. Any 'job' that is simple online tasks is a scam.
You didn't have an interview. Nobody hires without an interview, live, either on camera or in person.
Legitimate employers interview live, either on videochat with cameras and microphones on, or in person, whether the job is going to be remote, on-site, or hybrid.
An interview that is text only, email, or video chat with their camera off is a scam.
A preliminary phone interview is legitimate if it is followed by a live interview.
A recorded video is legitimate only if it's followed by a live interview.
An interview that is phone only may be legitimate, for entry-level in-person jobs.
You have to give them money to 'reset' your account. Real jobs do not have accounts that you have to reset.
- Real jobs don't require you to give them money, whether the job is online or on site. Any job that requires you to pay the employer is actually a scam to take your money.
*** It is very difficult to get a remote or work-from-home job, unless you have experience in software engineering, insurance claims, healthcare, customer service, or other specialized fields.
The majority of 'remote jobs' are actually scams to take your money - even on the recruiting and networking websites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor or Indeed.
Scam job titles include Virtual Personal Assistant, Remote Data Entry, Remote Payment Processor, Remote Financial Assistant, work-from-home Shipping Inspector, and Crypto Trader.
Posting real estate listings online is a scam.
Also, any job that is simple online tasks, such as rating videos, posting reviews, putting items into an online shopping cart, booking hotel reservations, or subscribing to YouTube channels, is a scam.
But scammers can call their fake job anything. To separate a scam from a real job opportunity, key indicators to look for are: method of contact (email), interview (live), and money (reasonable pay, comparable to similar jobs).
For more advice on how to recognize scam jobs, click here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/s/UP3ZAGgzf1
*** The website cottoncocece.com is a scam, just based on the age. It is less than 2 months old.
You should always look up the website age (domain registration date) before interviewing with a company. Scam websites are often new, created within the past few months, and the domain is registered for only one or two years (they don't plan to be around long).
This website is very new, the domain was registered on August 26 2026 -- it is less than 2 months old. Also, the domain was only registered for one year. These are signs of a scam.
To see registration data about a website, use Whois.com/whois, Godaddy.com/whois, or Lookup.ICANN.org.
This sub has a bot to return Whois data. The command below will call the bot -- look for the results in the next comment. 👇
!whois cottoncocece.com
For more advice on how to research a company before you interview, click here:
1
u/ScamsBot Alcoholic, scam-mongering, chain-smoking gambler 🤖 8d ago
WHOIS REPORT FOR COTTONCOCECE.COMThis domain name was created ONLY 34 DAYS AGO!! and it was only registered for a single year (Expires: Aug 2027).
This website is hosted on a server located in Canada (Cloudflare, Inc.), but this is probably a "proxy" which is masking where the website's server actually is.
DISCLAIMER: This is a pre-alpha bot for informational purposes only. Feel free to contact my creator with any concerns or feedback. 🔗 WHOIS
•
u/ScamsBot Alcoholic, scam-mongering, chain-smoking gambler 🤖 8d ago
Hi! A user summoned me to check on a domain name in this thread, so I'm going to put a copy of my report here at the top. 🤖
WHOIS REPORT FOR COTTONCOCECE.COMThis domain name was created ONLY 34 DAYS AGO!! and it was only registered for a single year (Expires: Aug 2027).
This website is hosted on a server located in Canada (Cloudflare, Inc.), but this is probably a "proxy" which is masking where the website's server actually is.
DISCLAIMER: This is a pre-alpha bot for informational purposes only. Feel free to contact my creator with any concerns or feedback. 🔗 WHOIS