News Summary

A sophisticated job scam has been deceiving international workers, primarily in Bangladesh, by posing as the renowned AI company OpenAI. The scam operated through Telegram, where hopeful workers believed they were securing stable online jobs with OpenAI. They were encouraged to invest in cryptocurrency and perform simple digital tasks through a platform labeled ‘OpenAi-etc.’ The scam involved a figure named ‘Aiden’ and created a hierarchical team structure to recruit more individuals, eventually amassing a crypto-investment fund of approximately $50,000. However, on August 29, 2024, the entire operation vanished, leaving workers without their invested money and revealing the job to be a fraud. This scam has been recognized by the US Federal Trade Commission following multiple complaints from Bangladeshi workers. The operation exploited OpenAI’s name recognition and highlighted the growing prevalence of sophisticated online job scams.