Pay to Click (PTC) Scams
What is Pay to Click (PTC)?
Pay to click or PTC refers to work wherein the user gets paid for clicking on certain things such as banner ads, links, videos and more. These kinds of jobs require virtually no qualifications and offer daily or weekly payouts, making them preferable by those who are less tech-savvy or looking for an easy way to earn money on the side.
However, by participating in PTC work, you may be getting involved with things you may not want to be associated with. PTC activities are generally illegal or walking a thin line of legality. Examples of PTC scams are where you get paid to:
- Click on ads
- Watch Youtube videos
- Like a page of Facebook
- Retweet a tweet
- Pin something on Pinterest
- Write a review
All these kinds of activities have two things in common: One, they ask you to endorse something which you are not really buying or supporting. Secondly, the work is often demeaning, extremely repetitious and low paying. In many cases, they have a referral program where users are rewarded referral commissions for roping in others into the platform. Therefore, users become incentivized to portray an unrealistic image about the platform and its earning potential to gain referrals.
The Bad Effects of Pay to Click Scams
There are several reasons why you do not want to get involved in Pay to Click scams:
- You are supporting crime: Companies that are offering pay to click schemes are in most cases cheating advertisers. Advertisers are paying advertising networks for engagement such as clicks, views and retweets from people who are genuinely interested in their products and/or services. PTC companies are cheating advertising networks by fraudulently paying people to click on these ads and generate revenue for themselves. PTC companies operate as ‘click farms’ that are guilty of ‘click fraud’. You are faking interest, which may not be illegal in your country, but can at least be considered unethical.
- You probably do not get paid: As these Pay to Click networks are making their money illegally, they are often taken down by the advertisers or advertising networks. Advertising networks quickly discover that they are being cheated and stop paying the scammer. The PTC company will then not pay you either.
When Not to Trust a PTC Site
Our general advice is to never trust a PTC site. Please use our general Scam checklist to see if the website is a scam or not. There are also some extra warning signs:
- Easy money is offered: Earning money can never be easy. If it would be easy, why would everybody not join these platforms? Do not trust websites offering high fees for simple tasks such as clicking on ads.
- Requiring upfront payment: An additional red flag is if the website asks you to pay for a subscription to get higher rewards or charges an application fee just to join the platform. These websites are nearly 100% scams.
- Never invest: Websites asking to invest in their site are very likely HYIP or Ponzi schemes. They use the money to pay other investors instead of investing the money into real assets. After a point, there is no more money to pay investors and you lose everything you have put into it.
- Payment proof: Do not trust payment proofs being displayed. These can easily be faked. If you still want to continue, privately contact a few references and see if they actually exist and have received any funds. You can also check the forum or community pages of the site to see if there are any real people behind it.
- Withdrawal problems: If you have trouble withdrawing your money or are required to reinvest your money, it is time to stop wasting your time and energy. The site will never payout.
As stated before, we think that nearly all PTC sites are scams. If you like to work from home, there are several legit websites where you can find meaningful and often better-paid work.
Please read our article on Work from Home Scams which include a list of trusted websites and make sure you are not cheated.
Sources
Report a Scam!
Have you fallen for a hoax, bought a fake product? Report the site and warn others!
Scam Categories
Help & Info
Top Safety Picks
Your Go-To Tools for Online SafetyDisclaimer: Some of the links here are affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
- ScamAdviser App - iOS : Your personal scam detector, on the go! Check website safety, report scams, and get instant alerts. Available on iOS
- ScamAdviser App - Android : Your personal scam detector, on the go! Check website safety, report scams, and get instant alerts. Available on Android.
- NordVPN : NordVPN keeps your connection private and secure whether you are at home, traveling, or streaming from another country. It protects your data, blocks unwanted ads and trackers, and helps you access your paid subscriptions anywhere. Try it Today!
- Incogni : Incogni automatically removes your personal data from data brokers that trade in personal information online, helping reduce scam and identity theft risks without the hassle of manual opt-outs. Reclaim your privacy now!
Popular Stories
As the influence of the internet rises, so does the prevalence of online scams. There are fraudsters making all kinds of claims to trap victims online - from fake investment opportunities to online stores - and the internet allows them to operate from any part of the world with anonymity. The ability to spot online scams is an important skill to have as the virtual world is increasingly becoming a part of every facet of our lives. The below tips will help you identify the signs which can indicate that a website could be a scam. Common Sense: Too Good To Be True When looking for goods online, a great deal can be very enticing. A Gucci bag or a new iPhone for half the price? Who wouldn’t want to grab such a deal? Scammers know this too and try to take advantage of the fact. If an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things. The easiest way to do this is to simply check out the same product at competing websites (that you trust). If the difference in prices is huge, it might be better to double-check the rest of the website. Check Out the Social Media Links Social media is a core part of ecommerce businesses these days and consumers often expect online shops to have a social media presence. Scammers know this and often insert logos of social media sites on their websites. Scratching beneath the surface often reveals this fu
How do I recover my crypto after it’s stolen? What happens if your crypto wallet is compromised? Can stolen crypto be traced, and can police actually recover crypto in 2026? These are the questions most people ask within minutes of realizing their wallet has been drained. Crypto theft is fast, quiet, and unforgiving. By the time most victims notice something is wrong, the funds are already moving across the blockchain. Once seen as a problem for exchanges and whales, crypto theft now heavily affects everyday investors. Phishing links, fake support chats, wallet approval scams, SIM swaps, and malware attacks have become common. Knowing what recovery realistically looks like—and what it doesn’t—can prevent panic, bad decisions, and costly follow-up scams. In a Nutshell Crypto recovery is possible, but only in limited situations Blockchain transactions are irreversible, but stolen crypto can still be traced Speed and documentation matter more than optimism Police and exchanges play a bigger role than private recovery services Guaranteed recovery offers are almost always scams Is it Actually Possible to Recover Stolen Crypto? Yes, crypto recovery is possible, but only under specific conditions and rarely through direct action by the victim. Blockchain transactions are final by design. Once crypto is sent and confirmed, it cannot be reversed. There is no central authority, no chargeback process, and no technical “undo” button, even if the transaction was clearly fraudulent. This is where many people ask whether stolen crypto can be traced. In most cases, it can. Every transaction