Looking for a side hustle? Don't get caught in an employment scam
An Ontario woman was hoping to earn extra money working a side hustle to help her deal with the rising costs of living, but ended up getting caught in an online employment scam.
“My source of income where I work, it's just not enough for me after paying all my bills and paying my rent," Emmanuella Ayonote, of Brampton, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
Ayonote said she was told about a job she could do online – a job she found in a chat group.
“She explained to me that the job is you have to register with the company for $500. After that, I would do work and be paid a commission, and it sounded like a good idea,” Ayonote said.
After she sent $500 to the company, Ayonote said she started doing the required work, adding it looked like the money in her account was growing with each task she completed at work.
But, when she tried to withdraw the funds, the website shut down.
“At one point it looked like I had $800 and I was trying to withdraw it, when everything crashed. I feel sad, so extremely sad because $500 to me is a lot,” she said.
Niagara Regional Police (NRPS) issued a news release recently after getting complaints about employment scams from victims who lose money while hoping to earn income.
“Be cautious and you should never send money to an employer as that's not common practice. The employer will send the money to the employees - not the other way around," NRPS Const. Barry Ravenek told CTV News Toronto.
Janita Pannu, founder of digital marketing agency OPIIA, told CTV News Toronto that if you’re looking for work, you should never have to pay in advance for employment.
“The only conversation you should be having with a future employer regarding money, should be about your compensation,” Pannu said.
When searching for a job online, be wary of job offers sent through email or text, remember that the most legitimate employers conduct job interviews and any promise of “easy money,” should be red flag.
Most importantly, when you see a job offer, do your research.
“If they are asking you to pay for things like training, or software or equipment that's definitely a red flag,” said Pannu.
Ayonote was part of a larger group who may have lost as much as tens of thousands of dollars to the scam.
"We are just trying to get the word out to stop the scammers from going here to there to swindle more people. People work hard for their money and they should not be swindled," Ayonote said.
According to the Financial and Consumer Services Commission Canadians lost 7.1 million dollars to job scams last year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.