Wrote: Etrit Rexhepi
A photograph is published presenting a part-time employment opportunity, showing the conditions and benefits.
This content, which bears the logo of the e-commerce company "Alibaba Group", was published as sponsored by a Facebook page named "Amy allen".
But what is the truth?
Hibrid.info has found that content on behalf of Alibaba Group for employment is fraudulent.
Initially, hibrid.info tried to access the content by saving the post, but this was impossible.
Then the button "" was clicked.Apply now”, which appears in the content, to find more information about this content.
After clicking this button, several requests for personal information appear. Once this information is filled in, a new window opens that redirects you to a conversation in the WhatsApp application, with an account that has a profile picture of an Asian girl and uses a phone number with the prefix (+ 20) of Egypt (see here).
Hibrid.info contacted this number on WhatsApp to find out more about the content published on Facebook. The communication was conducted via text messages and in Albanian. The person on the other end, who introduced himself as an employer, requested some basic information — such as name, nationality and current profession — to continue the conversation.
Although he did not provide any employment contract or clear legal information that would confirm a regular employment relationship, after sending the requested data, the interlocutor forwarded a link (see here).
The interlocutor sent instructions to identify themselves on this page and to continue with the process. Throughout this process, he requested that a screenshot of the computer screen be taken at each step, documenting each action.
By following the steps provided, we were able to access the site.
The assigned tasks included mediating in the sale of products, with a percentage commission for each sale. The completion of the assigned tasks also required the submission of screenshots of evidence.
When asked about the possibility of withdrawing the money won, the interlocutor requested mediation in 60 sales, in order to make such a thing possible.
During the implementation of this process, the financial balance inexplicably decreased and made it impossible to continue this process. The person presenting himself as the employer requested a repetition of the previous steps in order to continue.
In order not to risk further for security reasons, the procedures were not continued.
Hibrid.info has found an article published on the website domain detection platform, "ScamAdviser", which describes this phenomenon (see here).
The article shows that a new form of fraud has emerged Phishing, which exploits the popularity of platforms such as AliExpress, Temu and Coupang. The scheme involves fake employment through intermediary purchases and writing fake reviews, with the promise of high commissions for minimal work. The scam starts via SMS messages and continues with instructions to buy products and send proof in the form of screenshots. Initially, instant refunds of small amounts are offered to gain trust, but then larger investments are required, which are not refunded. Victims' personal data is also at risk of being misused.
This platform and “Scam-Detector” were also used by hibrid.info to verify the authenticity of the link sent during the WhatsApp conversation. In both cases, the reliability of this site was assessed to be low (see here and here).
Hibrid.info has also checked the Facebook page that published this content. This page has a small number of followers, an address and phone number based in the United States of America (US). It was opened on May 9 of this year and there are no posts on the page (see here).
Analyze
Sponsored content that claims to offer a part-time employment opportunity through the "Alibaba Group", promising commissions for intermediary product sales is not credible.
No legal proof or employment contract has been provided, while communication takes place unauthorizedly via WhatsApp with an Egyptian number and questionable instructions.
Also, from the ratings of platforms such as ScamAdviser and Scam-Detector, which describe the site as unreliable and at high risk for phishing fraud.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this content as "Fraud".
rationale
The “Deception” rating is given to informational content that is manipulated in terms of visual (deepfake, cheapfake), audio, or textual content to deceive the audience. This form of deception is usually used to produce false and manipulated content.