Ontario man loses $2,000 to movie review employment scam

Deceptive job listings are rampant online and while they may appear convincing, victims have lost their personal information along with thousands of dollars.

With the rising cost of living, some people are looking for side-hustles to try and make some extra money.

However, you must watch out for job scams. They’re rampant online and while they may appear convincing, victims have lost their personal information along with thousands of dollars.

One Ontario man is speaking out after he fell victim to an employment scam, where he thought he could make extra money as a movie reviewer, but instead lost $2,000.

“They got in touch with me by text and I don’t know how they got my number,” Abe Reiss, of Aurora, told CTV News.

Reiss said when he received a text message from an individual asking if he wanted a job as a movie reviewer, he was very excited.

“The job was for reviewing films and rating them,” the York Region resident said.

Reiss said for about a month he watched and reviewed films and was told he’d be paid but first he needed to put in some of his own money.

While Reiss thought he had earned an amount that had grown to about $14,000 on the fake movie review website, he put in $2,000 of his own money.

Soon after he was asked to put in another $5,000. That’s when he became concerned and contacted the police.

“They told me it was all a scam and I should quit communicating with them, which I have,” Reiss said, adding he’s sharing his story to help others from falling victim to job scams.

“We hate to hear about all of these scams targeting these innocent job seekers,” said Priya Rathod, the workplace trends editor with Indeed, which is the world’s largest job search website.

She noted that criminals are targeting job seekers to steal their information and money.

Rathod said scammers will tell job seekers whatever they want to hear.

“(They say) we are going to pay you well, you’re going to have every benefit you could imagine. But we are not going to give you much information about the company and what the job entails,” she said.

“Those are all big red flags.”

Some signs of a job scam are that you will receive an offer for a job you never applied for, no in-person interviews are required, you’re offered high pay for easy work, and you need to send money to earn money. Vague job descriptions and unprofessional communication are also some red flags to be weary of.

Reiss, meanwhile, said he was trying to earn extra income.

“I just wanted to help my family and contribute to society,” he said.

When looking for work, it’s important to do your research, check legitimate job boards and company websites. Never pay in advance for expenses or training or give out your banking information.

Job scams are a huge problem, and it gets worse when unemployment rises.

In 2024 Canadians lost almost 50 million dollars to employment fraud, so if you’re looking for work, be cautious when searching job postings and listings.