Letterboxd, a legitimate and reputable company based in New Zealand, allows its members to rate and review films. However, scammers have recently used its name to deceive job seekers like Rachel.
Rachel received a text message from someone claiming to be a recruiter from Letterboxd. The message caught her attention with promises of a lucrative job. “The text message said, basically, are you looking for a job? We can offer you this, this, and this per month,” Rachel told On Your Side.
The alleged recruiter claimed to have found Rachel’s resume on the popular employment website Indeed and offered her up to $9,000 a month to watch movie trailers sent from Letterboxd.
To get started, Rachel was asked to deposit $100 using cryptocurrency. After watching a few movie trailers, she was supposed to receive her $100 back plus a commission. “I would do the 30 movie clips, and at the end, I would get my deposit back and extra money,” she explained.
Rachel initially thought the job was legitimate because she received and deposited her commission into her bank account. “I took that money and put it in my bank account. I converted it back to cash. You know, it was real,” she said.
However, Rachel was then told that the more money she deposited, the higher her commission would be. Encouraged by this, she deposited $3,000. But after making the deposit, she was informed of a glitch that brought her balance into the negative.
To rectify this, Rachel was asked to deposit more money to get out of the negative and receive 40 more movie clips. She complied, sending over $4,471, and again received her commission.
“I made, like, $1,000 within a couple of minutes,” Rachel said, thinking it was easy money. But soon, she found herself unable to cash out and continued making deposits, totaling nearly $110,000, including a final large deposit of over $62,400.
Eventually, when asked for even more money, Rachel realized the so-called company was not Letterboxd but scammers.
“I believed them. I believed that if I just finished the set of 40, I’d get all my money back, all my deposits back, plus all the commissions. And it would be like a huge payday for me,” Rachel said. “I want to let people know that this is out there and to be aware of it, especially since so many people are looking for a job and are vulnerable. As I was, I was very vulnerable.”
Scammers often target job seekers by posing as potential employers or recruiters. Here are warning signs to look out for:
- Communication through Text Messages: Rachel was contacted through WhatsApp. Legitimate companies usually use official communication channels.
- Requests for Money: If you’re asked to send or forward money, it’s likely a scam.
- Suspicious Email Addresses: Scammers often use email addresses that closely resemble legitimate company addresses but are slightly altered.
- Unusual Tasks for Large Rewards: If the tasks seem meaningless but promise large amounts of money, it’s probably a scam.
Stay vigilant and verify the legitimacy of job offers before sharing personal information or money.