CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A scam called "Cloud Boost" is spreading across the country and into local communities, defrauding people out of thousands of dollars with promises of easy money for watching videos and boosting social media posts.
Melissa Brewer became involved after a friend recommended the opportunity. Her friend had been participating for a week or two and told Brewer she believed it was legitimate.
Brewer initially invested $510 to start, seeing it as a quick way to pay off medical bills.
"Phew, count me in, I am in," Brewer said.
Her assigned tasks involved watching videos and boosting social media posts. Initially, the scheme appeared legitimate. Brewer was even able to withdraw her initial $510 investment, which gave her false confidence in the operation.
As a so-called “Level One employee,” Brewer performed tasks on different social media platforms.
"With the understanding we all had from it is you’re helping boost these social influencers," Brewer said.
She earned about $18 a day for just 15 minutes of her time. Encouraged, she took her small profits and “leveled up” to where she was watching 20 videos daily — supposedly making $95 a day.
However, after investing more money and encouraging her children to participate, the family discovered they couldn't access their funds when attempting to cash out.
"The money should have hit the bank on Wednesday and it didn't," Brewer said.
How the scam works
Katie Gallon, Director of Education with the Better Business Bureau, said victims describe several variations of the “Cloud Boost” scam:
-Social media engagement: users are told they’ll be paid for simple tasks like liking or subscribing to videos.
-Package purchases: as people progress, they’re pressured to buy higher-level “packages” to keep earning or unlock bigger payouts.
-Withdrawal issues: when trying to cash out, victims are told to pay extra fees for “taxes” or “processing.” the money never comes.
-Platform migration: scammers sometimes move users to “new platforms” like cb max — withdrawals are still denied.
-Pyramid scheme: members are urged to recruit friends and family to earn commissions, making the setup resemble a pyramid scheme.
-Crypto payments: most transactions are required in cryptocurrency, making money harder to trace or recover.
-Fake partnerships: the company has even falsely claimed ties to big names like google, facebook, or amazon to seem credible.
For Brewer, the scammers dangled promises of a new laptop, weekly pay, and even family dinner reimbursements. All communication happened through chat platforms.
"I work remote. We communicate via chat and teams. It's not a red flag for me to communicate that way," Brewer said.
Ultimately, Brewer lost approximately $15,000 to the scam.
"This was so realistic and I'm not going to be embarrassed because I am not the only one who fell for this," Brewer said.
Brewer, who typically identifies scams easily, said this particular scheme appeared too realistic. She also urged others not to blame themselves or their friends if they were introduced to Cloud Boost by someone they trust.
"All she did was share an opportunity with me out of love. She didn't drag me kicking and screaming in this. I ran willingly with my arms open," Brewer said.
What to do if you’re targeted
The Better Business Bureau recommends anyone encountering Cloud Boost — or any similar scheme — take the following steps:
-Do not invest any money. Legitimate employers won’t ask you to pay upfront.
-Cut off all contact. Block phone numbers and accounts tied to the scam.
-Report it. Use the BBB scam tracker and file a report with police and the FTC.
-Warn others. Share your experience so friends, family, and coworkers don’t fall victim.
Numerous reports filed with the BBB Scam Tracker show victims initially withdrew small sums — which built trust — before being asked to invest larger amounts that were later stolen.
Bottom line: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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