Amidst the global pandemic there is a growing search albeit desperation for multiple sources of income. This is occasioned by job loss or pay cuts due to the adverse effects of Covid-19 on the world economy. In a bid to make the much needed extra income or new sources of income for some, several individuals have fallen prey to all sorts of online con artists who continue to come up with schemes to default unsuspecting or desperate seekers of income online. Most of these schemes at face value seem quite lucrative but a critical or careful analysis, usually reveals the baits that are intended to woo potential targets or victims. One of such schemes is getting paid for watching videos. There are several sites which offer this mouth watering offer but their real intent ranges from stealing users bank details to defrauding users via verification fees. I will proceed to point out some danger signs which could indicate that that video site you may just be considering to visit may end up amounting to wasting your internet subscription or worse still losing money in your credit or debit card. Let's dive in to discuss some of these danger signs.
1. Unusually high payment rate for viewing videos: The primary bait is usually to offer a potential member an unusually high payment rate for watching videos on the site. Some claim to offer as much as USD 12 or even more just by watching a video on their site and doing nothing more. The con can even more sophisticated with backing testimonies of those who have received their payments which are usually false. This is all intended to cloud the judgement of the potential victim as the thought of earning so much money could make the victim swallow the bait and follow all the instructions or steps outlined before payment is made without questioning anything. For the unfortunate victim, this hope is often dashed with disappointment and in a worst case scenario being defrauded.
2. No verification e-mail or user verification process during the registration phase: Genuine websites which have financial dealings with its users usually have a system of verification in place as part of the registration process. This usually ranges from sending of verification e-mail to sending of verification codes to the registered mobile number of the user. Some sites even go as far as requesting for means of identification. Dubious or fraudulent websites do not usually have any of these verification systems in place.
3. No clear or ambiguous terms and conditions guiding the scheme or website: There are usually no clear cut or well-defined terms and conditions that the user needs to meet to either participate or get paid at the beginning. What usually obtains with these scam sites is an evolution of the terms and conditions as the user progresses on the journey to earning the "big bucks". The first is usually minimum earnings before the user can make a withdrawal which is usually not spelt out during the registration process. After the user manages to achieve this goal, he is usually slammed with a minimum number of referrals that must be met to ensure the scheme continues. This trick is usually window dressed to be a strategy to ensure that the site is sustained with viewers but is actually a means of getting other potential victims. Some of these viewing videos to get paid site even have an option of buying user accounts as referral. The catch is that the payment for such referrals is not possible from your earnings on the site but from the funds in the user's bank account or crypto currency account as the case may be.
4. Requiring the user to pay for "quick" verification: This is one of the more clearer danger signs. After the user may have surmounted all other hurdles and appears to be almost home and dry to claim his hard earned earnings from hours of watching videos, a condition is brought up that the users account has not been verified after previously getting a prompt that payment is being processed. The user is given an unusually long time line, usually at least a month for account verification or quick verification for a token. Now here is another catch, this token cannot again be directly deducted from the earnings on the site but from the user's account either bank or crypto currency. For the unlucky user who proceeds to make such payment, the rest is history.
5. Requesting for Credit/Debit card details: This is the oldest trick in the book but unfortunately some unsuspecting persons still fall for it. When a site that is supposed to be paying you for watching videos begins to ask you for your card details such as number, expiry date, name of card holder and lastly BUT very importantly the CVV number (the 3 digit number usually inscribed behind your debit/credit card), just know that you are being set up to be conned. Anyone who obliges such information to such site will have himself or herself to blame when his or her account is wiped clean.
These are just a few danger signs to be wary of. The moment you start to notice any of this from any website, it is better to flee. Also doing your due diligence by finding out more about any site where you intend to earn from online is also recommended. A good way of achieving this is to read user reviewers about such sites carefully and if you're being referred to such site by someone you know, do find out if they have received any payment from such site with evidence of payment.
You never can be too careful these days with con artists abound on the internet.
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