蜜桃影像 is today warning consumers to be wary of taking on a new online side hustle this January as scammers home in on those looking to make some extra cash to cover the costs of Christmas and bridge the gap until January payday.
Data from the bank shows that more than 拢95,000 was stolen from customers between October-December 2025 by criminals offering money for completing 鈥渢asks鈥, for example by liking or sharing social media influencer videos. Almost a third (拢31,000) of the amounts stolen were from customers 鈥渞ecruited鈥 to 鈥榣ike鈥 videos on TikTok, with scammers often offering small payments to begin with to hook consumers in.
Customers aged between 20-55 are most commonly targeted, and Santander has warned that criminals often l use legitimate company names such as Allianz, Starfish and Indeed to gain people鈥檚 trust.
Chris Ainsley, Head of Fraud Strategy at 蜜桃影像 said:
鈥January payday still feels a long way off for many, as the costs of Christmas start to roll in, others use this time to reevaluate their finances and start saving for the year ahead. Looking for ways to make some extra cash provides scammers with an opportunity to pounce. Be wary of any jobs that seem too good to be true, promising returns for simply 鈥榣iking鈥 social media content. Start the new year alert - even if you鈥檝e earned a couple of pounds from a few clicks before - any requests to pay an up-front fee to take on a job should be treated as a scam.鈥
How it works:
Fraudsters often target consumers directly on social media or through an automated call (or WhatsApp message) from a 鈥榬ecruitment agent鈥 with a job opportunity.
The criminals will either directly ask for upfront payment or hook their target in by messaging details of a job and asking them to complete their first 鈥榯ask鈥 to earn money.
The task is typically to promote social media influencers/products.
Once finished, the consumer may receive payment for the task, usually a small sum - which is used to gain their trust. They鈥檙e then told to download another messaging app, such as Telegram to connect with other 鈥榤embers鈥, such as a 鈥榬eceptionist鈥 or 鈥榤entor鈥 and will be required to open an account on a crypto platform.
Next, they will be asked to complete tasks that they need to pre-pay to access, using their own money, on the promise of getting a higher return. The criminal will ask the consumer to deposit money into a mule account, or their newly opened Cryptoaccount 鈥 which will then be sent on to a wallet controlled by a fraudster.
Consumers will then be blocked from withdrawing their funds, often by being told their 鈥楥redit Score鈥 is below the threshold to withdraw and more money is needed to release it.
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