The Federal Trade Commission said there were no task scams in 2020, there were 5,000 in 2023 and then task scams quadrupled by the first half of 2024.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has seen an alarming rise in gamified job scams over the past year. The FTC says that reports of job scams have quadrupled each year since 2022 topping out at 20,000 reports at a cost of $41 million in total during the ...

Task scams usually start with a text or WhatsApp message from an unknown sender about a vague job opportunity, according to the FTC. If the recipient responds, they’re told they can receive payouts in exchange for doing tasks related to “app optimization” or “product boosting.”

A settlement with Epic Games was first announced two years ago after the FTC alleged that players of all ages lost money to unwanted purchases.

The deadline for applying for a settlement, however, is quickly approaching. You have to file by Jan. 10, 2025, which you can do on the FTC's website. There are some stipulations to getting a refund. The FTC said, in a statement, that you could apply for a refund if any of these things are true: