Scammers are going phishing using the TikTok name.
Officials at the social media app are warning people about a phishing text message scam in which con artists claim to be recruiters for TikTok.
A Reddit user recently revealed, in a now-deleted post, that they received a strange text message from someone who claimed to be from the company’s human resources team, The Mirror reported.
“Hello, I am from the HR department at TikTok. Your resume is very suitable for our positions. For business development, TikTok needs 300 part-time partners. No experience required,” the text read.
Even though the message came from an unfamiliar number, it didn’t immediately alarm the Reddit user.
“The working environment is relaxed. Work on the phone and it is easy to learn. The daily salary is from $223 up to $557. Please contact as soon as possible to get job details. We are looking forward to seeing you soon,” the message concluded.
Coincidentally, the Redditor was on the lookout for a new job but wanted to be certain the message was legitimate.
They posted a screenshot of the message to Reddit to ask others for their opinion — and were immediately told it was a phishing scam.
“My rule is: if I or an authorized third party did not provide you my information, you are spam. I don’t accept bills by text either, legit or not,” one responded.
Other users who were familiar with the scam explained how people get roped into the imposter’s game.
“A very common characteristic (but not entirely exclusive) is that you have to complete sets of 40 tasks. The app will tell you that you can earn money for each task, but the catch is that you can only do a limited number of tasks without upgrading your account. To upgrade your accounts, the scammers will require you to pay a fee. This makes it a variant of the advance fee scam,” one person theorized.
TikTok’s official website warns users to be aware of scammers who try to portray themselves as company employees.
“TikTok does not solicit in this manner. Anyone receiving these messages should know that this is a total scam,” a TikTok spokesperson told The Post.
However, the TikTok site has a generic warning that urges users to exercise caution if they’re contacted by a person purporting to represent the brand.
“Be wary of job scams that appear to originate from TikTok, and always #thinkb4youdo. It has come to our attention that scammers have been using the TikTok name to entice their victims,” the site reads.
“Please be informed that such messages are scams. TikTok and its partners do not operate in this manner,” TikTok continued. “Please be vigilant and think twice before sharing personal information or sending money. Always check your sources of information.”
