Description

I was contacted via Telegram by someone claiming to work for Refine Labs, a real marketing company. They offered a freelance position with daily pays and flexible hours. The only requirements were being over 20 and having a Social Security Number (SSN)—though they didn’t ask for the number itself. Shortly after, I received another message via Telegram from someone claiming to work for “Pixar Agent”, I was the given a link to a website, ( https://pixaragent.com.). The site used Pixar name and branding although the platform did not make any claims that I would be paid to write positive film reviews for underperforming Pixar movies.That is what I was told by the scammer. A platform interface was used but only to sign up and submit reviews. There was no dashboard for earnings, no contract, and no official communication from Pixar or Refine Labs. All payment instructions and earnings transfers were conducted via Telegram and WhatsApp, using cryptocurrency wallet addresses. After completing “tasks,” I was told I had earned money and could withdraw it—but only after making a series of Bitcoin payments. Each time I attempted to withdraw, the fees increased, and I was told that $50 must remain in the work account at all times. | Amount Paid | Claimed Reason | |-------------|----------------| | $20 | “Withdrawal fee” | | $50 | “Deposit for superior movie review offer” | | $100 | “Deposit to complete work to withdraw earnings” | | $150 | “Deposit for superior review to unlock earnings” | | $600 | Final demand before I stopped engaging | Although I was told earnings were “released,” they were never visible in the platform interface. Instead, I was instructed to send my earnings, along with additional funds of my own which required me to use my debit card to purchase Bitcoin and the send to different Bitcoin wallet addresses in order to withdraw my "earnings". This created a cycle of escalating fees and false promises. This scam impersonates real companies (Refine Labs and Pixar), uses fake websites, and exploits freelance workers through crypto-based payment fraud. It’s designed to appear legitimate, then trap victims in a cycle of escalating fees and misleading instructions.