By CORA LEWIS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As job-seekers look for work in a challenging environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The scams start innocuously, often with a tailor-made text or WhatsApp message, and the scammers take time to build trust with the victim before cashing in on the relationship.

“Most of the people who end up losing money to a scammer are behaving pretty rationally,” said Kati Daffan, assistant director of the Federal Trade Commission’s division of marketing practices. “Scammers are sophisticated, and they keep changing their tactics.”

Reported losses to job scams increased more than threefold from 2020 to 2023. In the first half of 2024, they topped $220 million, according to the FTC. Gamified job scams, or task scams, represented a significant portion of that growth. About 20,000 people reported experiencing gamified scams in the first part of 2024, compared to 5,000 in all of 2023.

Daffan said that that the number is certainly an underestimate, because many people don’t report their experiences of job scams to law enforcement or government trackers.

“Only 4.8% of people complain,” she said.

Here’s what to know:

How the scams work

The scam typically begins with an unexpected text or WhatsApp message from a “recruiter” offering online work, according to the FTC. The mystery texter will say you can “make good money” by “product boosting” or doing “optimization tasks” for an online platform or in an app, which might involve liking videos or rating product images.

This “job” promises to earn you money from “commissions” per click. Once you complete the tasks, you’ll see an increasing tally of “earnings” on the platform or in the app. These earnings are fake.

Eventually, the app or platform will ask you to deposit your own money, typically in crypto, to complete more tasks and withdraw your (non-existent) earnings. But if you do make the deposit, you lose your real money, and you never receive the illusory pay.

Related Articles

Musk’s latest Grok chatbot searches for billionaire mogul’s views before answering questions

Strike to end Saturday for health care workers at Stillwater clinic; issues not resolved

What happens to authorized users when the primary credit card holder dies?

What flood insurance does and does not cover

Trump’s 50% tariff on Brazilian goods like coffee and orange juice could drive up US breakfast costs

Who gets targeted

Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, said these types of scammers typically prey on job-seekers who are new to the job market, people who have been out of the job market for some time (such as homemakers re-entering the workforce, whose children are grown), and immigrants, who may be less familiar with the employment landscape or who face language barriers.

“Often the job will have an easy interview or no interview, promise to let you work from home, and let you start right away,” Velasquez said. “Sometimes they’ll start with praise, and the person will feel their skills are recognized. ‘Oh, you think I’m great? Tell me more.’”

Velasquez emphasized the vulnerability of people looking for work, especially given ongoing economic uncertainty, who may choose to accept a role even if it initially feels shady.

“Sometimes the ask is to leave phony reviews for products,” she said. “The scammers are probably selling those reviews illegally, but a job-seeker might look at a line and say, ‘I’ll cross that line. I’ve got to eat.’”

Tips for spotting a task-based scam

Ignore any generic and unexpected texts or WhatsApp messages about jobs, no matter how specific or complimentary the messages.
Never pay to get paid, or to get a job. That requirement is a red flag that the position is a scam.
Don’t trust employers who says they’ll pay you to rate or like things online, without an above-board process for using the actual products or services you’re rating.

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

It’s 1980 in Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, and a war rages, while a high-stakes election could change this country forever. For 7-year-old Bobo (Lexi Venter), life continues on at her white English family’s rural farm, where she’s grown accustomed to their military escorts for trips to town, and that she’s not allowed in her parents’ bedroom at night, lest they mistake her for a “terrorist” and shoot her.

Through the eyes of a child, the most complex conflicts can be reduced to their core truths, lyrically expressed in “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight,” the directorial debut of acclaimed American-South African actress Embeth Davidtz, who also adapted the source material, a 2001 memoir by British-Zimbabwean writer Alexandra Fuller. Davidtz pulls triple duty, co-starring as Bobo’s mother Nicola.

Bobo invites us into her world via matter-of-fact narration, explaining things how she sees it: colonialism, war, race and African culture out of the mouths of babes. From this perspective, the heated politics and civil unrest of this time are tempered, though not softened, as she tries to make sense of the world around her, simplifying and flattening into binaries; this or that. “Are we African or English?” “Are we racist? I heard it on the radio.”

Our lens into this world, Bobo is the planet around which “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” revolves, embodied with wild abandon by Venter, whom Davidtz found when she put out a call for a free-spirited young girl, untrained in acting.

Davidtz has captured something like lightning in a bottle with Venter’s performance of pure, feral girlhood. As Bobo, she is a whirling dervish, entirely unencumbered by self-consciousness on screen thanks to Davidtz’s canny direction. She chokes on ice, and picks a wedgie. She asks inappropriate questions and is perfectly confident roaming the sprawling family farm, on horseback or motorbike, always barefoot. She may be often dirty and unkempt, but she composes herself with proper English manners when necessary. She is simultaneously innocent and knowing.

Davidtz carefully stitches together the performance through editing and voice-over, maintaining Venter’s authentic spirit. Bobo switches from know-it-all explanations to whispered incantations, superstitious wishes from a child. “If you love me you’ll turn around” she whispers at the sight of her father’s (Rob van Vuuren) retreating back, as he heads off for a military tour (though the details are never quite clear — Bobo is lightly neglected by her parents).

The one person who does pay attention to her is Sarah (Zikhona Bali), one of their African servants. She is tender, loving and playful, telling her stories of African mythology. Bobo’s own mother drinks late into the night, and frequently passes out in a silky negligee, clutching a machine gun.

Embeth Davidtz as Nicola Fuller in “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight.” Davidtz also wrote and directed the film. (Sony Pictures Classics/ZUMA Press/TNS)

“Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” captures the complex dynamics of being a white minority, a strange social, cultural and political place to inhabit. Bobo feels African because this is her home, what she knows best. She loves Sarah and embraces her culture. But she also apes her own mother’s haughty, entitled “lady of the manor” ways. Nicola’s behavior is only made more ridiculous by their hardscrabble and dangerous existence in the bush — they’re certainly not living a life of luxury.

Davidtz, who directs the film with striking beauty and a visceral immediacy, is also gripping in her performance as Nicola, battling alcoholism and grief. As filmmaker, Davidtz parcels out information about the family’s past trauma like a repressed memory stubbornly surfacing, bobbing to the top of their consciousness.

Their farm is Bobo’s whole world, but questions of property ownership and colonialism are at the heart of this conflict, both political and personal. Jacob (Fumani Shilubana), one of their employees, talks about how the farm used to be the land of his people, where his ancestors are buried, from whom he seeks solace and guidance. His connection to this place is ancient and spiritual, not legal or financial.

And yet we find that Nicola has a spiritual connection to this land as well. Her own dreams are intertwined with this place; she has buried her own loved ones in this soil. As the communist leader Robert Mugabe is elected, his declarations empower Africans to take up residence on the farmland, and her imperialist grasp slips, the beginning of the end for this family here.

Related Articles

Dean Cain honored to have played Superman

Review: Yes, ‘Superman’ is political. It’s also fast-paced, goofy and a lot of fun.

Review: ‘Sorry, Baby’ is a witty, moving portrait of life in the aftermath of a college assault

Movie review: Even Danielle Deadwyler can’t rescue ’40 Acres’ from wasteland

Movie review: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ brings renewed wonder, fun to franchise

Davidtz saw cultural similarities in this story to her own childhood in South Africa, and with this astonishing cinematic jewel, presents a sensorially transporting snapshot of this place in time — the family, racial and political dynamics, and how a child might synthesize it all. Through Fuller’s story, Davidtz saw herself, and in adaptation, she distills the universal truths derived from its specificity.

‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight’

4 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for violent/bloody images, language, sexual assault, and some underage smoking/drinking)

Running time: 1:38

How to watch: In theaters July 11

The law of the land?

I read with interest a recent letter under the heading “Someone had to.” I find it fascinating that Donald Trump was lauded as a great “law of the land” champion and enforcer in this letter. There are so many directions one could go here, but I will focus on one.

On January 6, 2021, a large and violent mob overpowered law enforcement and took over the United States Capitol Building. The mob’s unambiguous intention was to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election by blocking its congressional certification. If you don’t want to call this an “insurrection,” fine. But there can be no debate that this attempt violated a cornerstone of our political system: the peaceful transfer of power. There can be no debate that the actions of the mob were profoundly unlawful.

In the aftermath of January 6, more than 1,500 members of the mob were brought to justice and convicted of relevant crimes through legitimate legal procedures. Donald Trump, however, referred to these criminals as “political prisoners” and set them all free through an executive order as soon as he was inaugurated.

Trump has based all of his statements and actions pertaining to the January 6 violence on the false notion that the 2020 election was stolen from him. All charges of 2020 election irregularities potentially influencing the outcome have been thrown out in the courts. This includes a US Supreme Court made up of three liberals and six conservatives, three of those conservatives having been appointed by Trump himself.

The law of the land proclaimed Joe Biden the winner in 2020. Trump has demonstrated through his blanket January 6 pardons and countless other actions (as president and private citizen) that he is contemptuous of laws of the land when they conflict with his interests.

The “Someone had to” letter-writer said it best: “What happens when laws are only applied based on who is in power? You stop having a republic, and start playing with authoritarian fire.”

Peter Langworthy, St. Paul

 

Some are working hard. Others …

How is it that so many of our lawmakers have turned into wimps? Allowing one unethical and manipulative man to control their decision-making.

Many of us, before we vote, research the candidates. Learn where they stand on issues that impact us, not only personally, but our state and country as well. Candidates we believe are intelligent and independent thinkers. Granted, there are many who are still working hard to keep democracy a reality in the United States. And then there’s the wimps.

God Bless America!

Ursula Krawczyk, St. Paul 

Related Articles

‘Today we get justice,’ sister of chef fatally shot at St. Paul funeral reception says in court

Two charged after gunfight at downtown St. Paul pool party

Charges: Man broke into St. Paul girl’s bedroom window to attempt assault

Two shot and injured, suspect dead after St. Paul grocery store shooting spree

St. Paul’s troubled Lowry Apartments sold to Burnsville homebuilder

This new odor

While grocery shopping and visiting a museum recently I noticed a smell that was new to me. A friend informed me that it was marijuana. Years ago smoke from cigarettes and cigars filled the air. How are we going to regulate this new odor in our air?

Recently on TV I saw manufacturers making all kinds of marijuana delights (looks and tastes just like candy). How are we going to keep these out of the hands of young children and teenagers?

Minnesota made a mistake when they legalized marijuana. How can we stop this? Just say no, don’t use or buy, and help keep ourselves and our children safe.

Mary Anne Gruetzman, New Brighton 

 

Today is Saturday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2024. There are 172 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On July 12, as an angry reaction to the popularity of disco music, the Chicago White Sox held the “Disco Demolition Night” promotion, in which a crate of disco records was blown up on the field between games of a double-header; the ensuing riot and damage to the field caused the White Sox to forfeit the second game.

Also on this date:

In 1543, England’s King Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.

Related Articles

Northern Arizona resident dies from plague

Musk’s latest Grok chatbot searches for billionaire mogul’s views before answering questions

Flash floods once again hit Vermont, damaging homes and roads

Wildfires force evacuations at Grand Canyon and Black Canyon of the Gunnison parks

Judge scolds Justice Department for ‘refusal’ to detail deportation plans for Kilmar Abrego Garcia

In 1812, United States forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the War of 1812 against Britain. (However, Hull retreated shortly thereafter to Detroit.)

In 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Army Medal of Honor.

In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was declared ratified in February 1913.)

In 1962, the Rolling Stones played their first show, at the Marquee Club in London.

In 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of a Black taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the five days of violence that followed.

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced his choice of U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.

In 1991, Japanese professor Hitoshi Igarashi, who had translated Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses,” was found stabbed to death, nine days after the novel’s Italian translator was attacked in Milan.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton, visiting Germany, went to the eastern sector of Berlin, the first U.S. president to do so since Harry Truman.

In 2003, the USS Ronald Reagan, the first carrier named for a living president, was commissioned in Norfolk, Virginia.

In 2012, a scathing report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said the late Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials had buried child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade earlier to avoid bad publicity.

In 2022, Twitter sued Elon Musk to force him to complete the $44 billion acquisition of the social media company after Musk said he was backing off his agreement to buy the company. (He would eventually become Twitter’s owner three months later.)

Today’s Birthdays:

Writer Delia Ephron is 81.
Singer Walter Egan is 77.
Writer-producer Brian Grazer is 74.
Actor Cheryl Ladd is 74.
Gospel singer Ricky McKinnie (The Blind Boys of Alabama) is 73.
Gospel singer Sandi Patty is 69.
Actor Mel Harris is 69.
Boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez is 63.
Rock singer Robin Wilson (Gin Blossoms) is 60.
Actor Lisa Nicole Carson is 56.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is 54.
Actor Anna Friel is 49.
R&B singer Tracie Spencer is 49.
Actor Topher Grace is 47.
Actor Michelle Rodriguez is 47.
Country singer-musician Kimberly Perry (The Band Perry) is 42.
Actor Natalie Martinez is 41.
Actor Ta’Rhonda Jones is 37.
Actor Rachel Brosnahan is 35.
Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordyn Wieber is 30.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai is 28.
NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 27.