Advance-Fee Scam Disguised as a Freelance Job – My Experience with international-guest-sharing.com
I want to warn others about a sophisticated scam I encountered after being contacted unsolicited via Telegram by an “agent” offering a part-time job that promised €30–50 per day for about an hour’s work. The offer sounded appealing and flexible, so I agreed to hear more.
The recruitment process:
The agent (going by the name Kenneth) introduced the job as a simple task involving boosting online ads for hotels. The communication was friendly and professional, and after a brief “training session” on the website international-guest-sharing.com, I was credited with a €300 “trial bonus” and earned a commission of €34 for completing training tasks. I was even able to withdraw this small amount, which made the platform appear legitimate.
Escalating demands:
After the initial withdrawal, I was told that to continue working and access higher daily earnings, I needed to “reset” my work account by depositing €50 of my own money. The explanation was that this was an “operational requirement” and not a payment to anyone, but simply a way to keep my account active. I was assured the money would remain on my account and could be withdrawn at any time, along with future earnings.
When I refused to deposit more money and asked to work off the amount instead, both the agent and customer service insisted that a deposit was mandatory and there were “no exceptions.” The explanations kept changing, but the bottom line was always the same: I had to send them more money to access what I had supposedly earned.
Manipulative community tactics:
After joining, I was added to a Telegram group with other supposed “workers.” Another member, Angelica, reached out to me privately, sharing her own “positive” experiences and reassuring me that she had received her commissions. However, her answers were vague and did not address my growing concerns about the rapidly increasing deposit requirements. This peer-to-peer reassurance is a classic manipulation tactic in scams, designed to build trust and normalize suspicious practices.
Manipulative community tactics:
After joining, I was added to a Telegram group with other supposed “workers.” Another member, Angelica, reached out to me privately, sharing her own “positive” experiences and reassuring me that she had received her commissions. However, her answers were vague and did not address my growing concerns about the rapidly increasing deposit requirements. This peer-to-peer reassurance is a classic manipulation tactic in scams, designed to build trust and normalize suspicious practices.
Customer service pressure:
When I contacted customer service, I was repeatedly told that my account was “negative” and that I could not continue or withdraw further earnings without making a new deposit. When I questioned the legitimacy of this requirement and threatened to report the website, they simply replied that I was free to do so and reiterated that there were no exceptions.
Conclusion:
This is a textbook advance-fee scam. The platform allows you to withdraw a small amount at first to gain your trust, but then demands larger and larger deposits to “unlock” your earnings, always with the promise of bigger payouts just out of reach. The use of friendly agents, fake peer support, and evasive customer service are all designed to manipulate you into sending more money.
My advice:
Do not trust this platform or similar offers. Never send your own money to access earnings from a job. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I will be reporting this website as a scam wherever I can to help others avoid losing money.