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Security · Job Scams · Task Fraud

The fake job offer text: now it doesn't even need a link

"Remote position available — online assessor, $250/day. Reply YES if interested." No interview, no company name you recognise, just a vague title and a tempting daily rate. The FTC warns this scam has evolved: instead of a malicious link, it just needs you to reply — which confirms your number belongs to a real, responsive person worth targeting further.

Protect yourself from these scams with Egidio Egidio flags known job-scam patterns before you engage
What the FTC says: a vague job title, a daily or weekly pay rate with no details about the actual work, and no real interview process — sent as an unsolicited text — is almost always a scam, not a real opportunity.

How the fake job offer works

Step 1

The vague title

"Online assessor," "remote position," or similarly generic titles avoid any specific claim that could be checked.

Step 2

The simple reply

Instead of a suspicious link, you're just asked to reply "YES" or "INTERESTED" — confirming a real, engaged person is on the other end.

Step 3

The trap, three ways

What follows is identity theft (personal details "for onboarding"), fake check fraud (deposit a check, send back "change"), or task-based fraud (pay small amounts upfront to "unlock" earnings).

Step 4

The loss

Fake checks bounce days later, after you've already sent real money back — leaving you liable for the full amount.

How to spot it

What to do if you get this text

  1. Don't reply "YES" or engage at all.
  2. Never deposit a check from an unverified employer or send money back.
  3. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  4. If you already deposited a check, contact your bank immediately — don't spend any of the funds.

Egidio: your automatic phishing detector

This scam evolved specifically to skip the suspicious link — but the follow-up "onboarding" or "task" links still get sent eventually. Egidio catches those before they can do anything.

Egidio screens incoming calls and scans links arriving through your messaging apps in real time and blocks fake onboarding or payment pages the moment they're recognised.

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