An apparent job scam posing as OpenAI has targeted workers in Bangladesh via Telegram, according to complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The scam attracted individuals looking for reliable work, including one worker who believed they had secured a job completing basic online tasks for OpenAI through a ChatGPT-branded application.
This worker connected with a person named "Aiden," allegedly from OpenAI, and followed instructions to create an account on a fraudulent website called "OpenAi-etc." They were encouraged to invest in cryptocurrency, promising daily profits based on their investments. Over months of work, the scam’s proponents urged this worker to deposit more money and recruit others, leading to a total investment fund of approximately $50,000 with over 150 individuals involved.
Everything changed abruptly on August 29, 2024, when the website and all associated personnel vanished overnight, leaving the victims empty-handed. The job was confirmed never to have been linked to OpenAI, with former workers expressing regret over their lost investments.
The FTC received 11 complaints related to the OpenAi-etc scam, seven of which mentioned "Aiden." The testimonies illustrate a potentially extensive scam operation that exploited OpenAI’s name to rob low-wage workers of their savings. Some complaints indicate individuals believed they had been employed for as long as six months, while others reported being lured into the scam just before its abrupt collapse.
One complaint documented a person being invited to invest $170. This victim believed that OpenAi-etc was a legitimate business with a registered American entity and a physical office in Denver. Other FTC complaints revealed that it likely impacted over 6,000 people across Bangladesh, with those affected ranging from teenagers to individuals in their fifties.
Niko Felix, a spokesperson for OpenAI, stated that the company is currently investigating the incident. Meanwhile, Telegram has acknowledged that it actively monitors its platform for such scams, although the specifics of the ongoing investigation into OpenAi-etc were not disclosed by the FTC.
Scammers typically utilize tactics that foster trust, often promoting a culture of compliance in regions with hierarchical social structures, making job seekers more susceptible to fraudulent schemes. In Bangladesh, reports suggest an increase in job scams that lure individuals with false promises, contributing to significant economic distress among many workers seeking foreign job opportunities.
