Authorities in Japan are raising the alarm over a new, deceptively innocent social media scam that requires users to do one simple thing to earn some extra cash: take screenshots of videos.
While it may seem like an easy side hustle, the scheme has caused an estimated ?1 billion ($6.5 million) in total damages, with people losing ?800,000 on average in each case. A total of 1,615 of such cases were reported in 2024, according to the Consumer Affairs Agency.
Victims are asked to add a promotional account on the Line messaging app and go through a test run in which they send screenshots of certain videos and are paid around ?100 electronically for each.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.