Chicago-area residents getting paid to 'like' social media posts lose thousands: 'Put me in a hole'

"Erica heard about the work-from-home program from a friend. Then, she started making presentations and even recruited others online. The job? To like social media posts from the comfort of her own home. Her husband, Willie Tyler Jr., and friend, Chris Kimbrough, of Bolingbrook, also signed up. Erica says she started with a $500 cryptocurrency "work" deposit to join the team. "I'm upset, number one, because they got us to trust them. OK. And we trusted that they were a growing company," Erica said."

"Erica says she later deposited another $15,000 into the crypto platform over the course of a year. She and others say deposits helped them move up in "tiers" to hopefully make more money by "liking" more posts. But last August, consumers say, the company shut down, and they were unable to cash out. Erica estimates her losses at nearly $37,000. Willie says he lost $3,000 in crypto deposits."

""Put me in a hole," Willie said. "Because not just on my account, you know, I trusted them, but I also brought people in, family members, some close friends, you know, that they lost money also." Kimbrough also says she lost thousands. "I'm very upset about that," Kimbrough said. "And, you know, I had one of my friends to put up money for me, and then, family members helped put up money for me.""

A work-from-home program promised earnings for liking social media posts. Participants said they joined an Australian company, CloudBoost Technology Advertising, after hearing about the opportunity from friends and recruiting others online. Workers reported starting with a cryptocurrency deposit to join and later making additional deposits to reach higher “tiers” for increased earning potential. Several people said the company later shut down and they could not withdraw funds. Reported losses included nearly $37,000 for one participant, $3,000 for another, and thousands for others who also relied on friends and family to fund deposits. The scheme left participants feeling misled and financially harmed.

Read at ABC7 Chicago