AI Task Accounts Now the New Bitcoin, But More Scam and Less Profit

KEY POINTS

•Scale AI received a $14 billion investment from Meta in June 2025 while fighting fraud and duplicate accounts.
•Business Insider found over 100 Facebook groups selling verified AI training accounts, prompting Meta to remove 40 groups.
•Kenyan contractors buy or rent US-based verified accounts to access active AI labeling projects and bypass screening tests.
•Internal documents revealed VPN abuse and contractor bans from various regions amid cheating allegations and project quality concerns.

In 2025, AI firms like Scale AI, Surge AI, and Mercor are swimming in billions, including a $14 billion Meta splash on Scale AI. Meanwhile, a shadow economy thrives with verified Outlier and Mercor freelance accounts being hawked on 100+ Facebook groups—until Meta nuked about 40 of them for policy violations. Kenyan contractors spill tea: some buy verified accounts to dodge tedious onboarding tests, others rent out their profiles, with upfront fees and earnings cuts involved. VPNs and ‘shadow proxies’ help buyers mask locations, mostly targeting US accounts for active projects. The saga includes leaked Google/Scale AI docs, banned users flagged for VPNs, duplicate accounts, and countries like Kenya and Egypt banned over ChatGPT cheating fears. It’s cosplay meets cybersecurity for data labelers, who can hit $100/hour but risk suspension or tax on “ghost” earnings. Prolific’s VP likens this underground AI fraud ring to concert ticket scalpers and bank fraud—with far less fun drama.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

You thought crypto was wild? Wait till you see unpaid Asians and Kenyans hustling fake AI labels accounts like internet Pokémon cards. Everybody's cheating except the poor VPNs.

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