A mother lost P43,700 in an online job scam that initially promised small cash rewards for completing simple digital tasks, according to an interview by DAILY TRIBUNE.

The scheme began 26 August when an unidentified individual messaged the victim with an offer to earn money with no upfront payment, promising P120 upon completing basic initial instructions.

After providing basic personal information to an online contact acting as a receptionist, the victim was instructed to perform tasks such as liking a storefront on the e-commerce platform Temu.

An automated bot on the messaging platform Telegram then released an initial payout of P120 directly to her account.

The operators offered 26 scheduled tasks daily, promising P20 for every completed assignment submitted at 20-minute intervals between 10:20 a.m. and 9:40 p.m.

The schedule also featured “welfare tasks,” which promised higher bonuses, cash prizes, or gadgets through promotional draws.

Financial losses began the following day when the operators instructed the victim to pay P1,500 to upgrade her account to a “VIP level” to access higher-paying tasks. Though her initial upgrade fee yielded a promised return, subsequent tasks required increasingly larger payments.

A contact posing as an instructor guided the victim through several transactions, including two early transfers totaling over P10,000 that offered a return of only P3,500.