'I lost £4,000 in a day after being conned by fake side hustle'

Monika Zytowiecka, 38, signed up for the 'online side hustle' to pass quieter spells between clients at her job as a beautician - but it turned out to be a cryptocurrency scam

A woman was left £4,000 out of pocket in a single day after signing up for an "online side hustle" she discovered on Facebook - which turned out to be a cryptocurrency scam. Business owner Monika Zytowiecka, 38, decided to take up an online side hustle to fill quieter periods between clients at her job as a beautician.

Monika came across a vague post on Facebook advertising part-time staff positions - with the potential to earn up to £250 a day - 'processing online orders' with 'no experience required'. She reached out to the advertiser via WhatsApp and was directed to log into a system where she was given a budget to make online purchases - ranging from children's clothing to stationary and skincare - to "improve businesses ratings", she said.

Monika was instructed to supplement her budget with her own funds if it became too low to make the purchases, but says she was reassured that she would be refunded immediately, with commission added. This happened as promised the first time - but she says she was then asked to make larger and larger 'top ups' exceeding £1,200.

Each time she panicked, her mentor whom she communicated with on Telegram, 'Allison', would reassure her that once she had completed her 'tasks' she could withdraw her money along with her commission. Finally, after being asked to shell out £1,596, her bank blocked the payment from being sent - suspecting that Monika was being targeted by scammers.

Monika, from Shirley in Southampton, found herself out of pocket by nearly £4,000 when the online sales platform she was using suddenly disappeared—taking her money with it. Despite reaching out to her bank and Action Fraud, she's been told there’s nothing that can be done, reports Surrey Live.

Reflecting on her experience, Monika said: "I had been seeing these posts about 'work from home' opportunities on Facebook."

"My business was slow so I thought some extra cash would be nice when I had some spare time. I was told I could earn from £20 to £500 helping boost reviews and get new clients for online sellers. I paid £12 when they asked me to top up my account funds, then they paid me back with my commission. But the next times I had to pay more, then more, then more.

"As it went on I got more hesitant but they told me if I didn't do it quickly I would pass the time limit for the task. In one day I lost nearly £4k, but solicitors won't help me unless it was over £10k."

On September 7, after noticing a part-time job advert on Facebook, Monika engaged in a WhatsApp chat with the advertiser, during which she was walked through the process and provided with login details for their sales platform. Confident because of a given budget for placing online orders, she was quickly moved to a Telegram chat where someone named 'Allison' tutored her on the required steps.

It began with a simple request to use £12 of her own money to 'top up' her account. 'Allison' assured her that every penny, plus commission, would be immediately reimbursed.

Monika's suspicions were initially alleviated when she made a £35 profit from 40 minutes of work. However, as she was asked to invest increasingly higher amounts, up to several hundred pounds, she grew uneasy.

The scammers convinced her to complete various 'missions' within a set timeframe, promising she could reclaim her money plus commissions. Each task was supposedly the 'last one,' but another would inevitably follow.

Monika recounted: "They told me I hit a 'jack bundle' and I would need to pay £1,281 - I was hesitant but once again they reassured me it was all legitimate. I paid it but then when I went to withdraw my money they said I passed the time limit and would need to do another task - a 'repair task' to get it back."

Her bank intervened when she attempted to send £1,596, confirming her fears of being scammed. After Action Fraud was unable to assist, a solicitor allegedly told her the loss wasn't substantial enough to warrant taking on her case.

The platform vanished, and the contact changed their name. Monika aims to warn others about similar scams, stating: "I can't be the only one being scammed like this. I don't consider myself vulnerable but I allowed someone to take advantage of me. There could be people out there losing their lifetime savings like this."

Claire Webb, Acting Director of Action Fraud, confirmed: "Action Fraud can confirm that it received a complaint on 7 September 2024. It was assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) at the City of London Police but has not been passed to a police force for investigation."

She added: "It will continue to be reviewed against new information received from Action Fraud reports. Over 850,000 reports are made to the NFIB every year and not all cases can be passed on for further investigation. Reports are assessed against a number of criteria, but not every case of fraud will result in a judicial outcome."

Webb also explained: "There are different ways a report can be dealt with when it cannot be passed to a police force. These include the National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit (NECVU) helping victims to reclaim monies lost. Reports are vital in helping the police develop intelligence and take disruptive activity to prevent other people from falling victim, such as taking down websites, telephone numbers and email addresses linked to fraud."