Spotify Reviewer Program Scam Exposed: What You Need to Know
Written by: Thomas Orsolya
Published on:
Imagine getting paid $45 an hour just to listen to music and give feedback. Sounds like a dream job, right? That’s exactly what the so-called “Spotify Reviewer Program” promises. But as the saying goes—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This article dives deep into the deceptive nature of the “Spotify Reviewer Program,” shedding light on how it tricks users into a never-ending cycle of fake offers and false hope. We’ll explore the inner workings of the scam, highlight warning signs, and provide actionable steps for anyone who may have been targeted.
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Scam Overview: The Truth Behind the “Spotify Reviewer Program”
The “Spotify Reviewer Program” being promoted on websites like spotify.created.app is not a legitimate opportunity and is in no way affiliated with Spotify, the globally recognized music streaming platform. This scam is cleverly designed to resemble a professional, high-paying gig, but its true purpose is much more sinister.
It pretends to offer a job that pays up to $45 an hour for reviewing music tracks. In reality, it’s a funnel into a network of deceptive affiliate marketing schemes. The goal? To exploit users’ time, data, and in many cases, money, while the scammers behind the curtain earn commissions.
What the Scam Promises
At first glance, the website looks credible. It uses polished graphics, clean design, and recognizable branding elements that mimic Spotify’s aesthetic. This level of design professionalism is intentional—it’s meant to make users drop their guard. Here’s what the scam promises:
Make up to $45/hour listening to music
Exclusive access to unreleased Spotify tracks
Remote work from anywhere in the world
No experience required, instant sign-up
Join a growing community of paid music reviewers
The allure of easy money and flexibility is potent. That’s exactly why this scam has hooked thousands.
Red Flags and Suspicious Details
Fake Domain Name: The URL “spotify.created.app” is not tied to Spotify in any official capacity. Spotify’s legitimate services operate exclusively on domains ending in spotify.com.
Lack of Verification on Spotify’s Platforms: A real reviewer program of this scale would be highlighted on Spotify’s own website or social media. The complete absence of this offer across their channels is a massive red flag.
Missing Transparency: Real companies list terms of service, privacy policies, and contact details. This site includes none of these. It’s structured to avoid accountability.
Unverifiable Metrics: The website touts massive engagement—400K+ reviewers and 2.5M songs reviewed. None of this can be verified, and such numbers are likely fabricated to impress and mislead.
Redirects to Shady Offers: After you sign up, you’re immediately sent to a carousel of affiliate landing pages, including gambling promotions like “BetOnRed.” The intent is not employment—it’s affiliate revenue.
No Actual Work: Despite promising paid music reviewing tasks, users are never provided with songs to review. Instead, they face a maze of offers, downloads, and surveys.
Victim Reports and Complaints
Across scam-awareness forums and consumer complaint websites, countless users recount identical experiences:
Being inundated with spam and promotional emails
Submitting personal details that were later misused
Signing up for “free” trials only to find hidden charges on their accounts
Never receiving any sort of legitimate communication or employment opportunity
These firsthand accounts paint a clear picture: this program is not just a harmless ruse—it can lead to real-world consequences.
How the Scam Works
The scam is designed to extract value at every step of your interaction, using manipulative tactics and social engineering. Let’s dissect how it works from start to finish.
Step 1: Catchy Ads and Clickbait Headlines
The journey usually begins with attention-grabbing ads on social media platforms, video sites, or even through email spam. These ads are designed to entice with big promises:
“Spotify Is Hiring: $45/hour to Review Music!”
“Remote Music Jobs Available Now!”
“Get Paid to Listen to New Tracks—Start Today!”
These messages appeal directly to financial need and curiosity, making them highly effective.
Step 2: Landing Page Built to Deceive
Clicking an ad brings users to a slick-looking landing page that mirrors the design and language of official Spotify pages. The site uses:
The Spotify logo and brand colors
Fake statistics for legitimacy
Positive “user testimonials”
A simplified sign-up process with no vetting
The idea is to reduce friction and maximize conversions. It’s not about recruitment—it’s about volume.
Step 3: Personal Information Harvesting
Users are prompted to provide their:
Full name
Email address
Sometimes their phone number or zip code
This data is collected under the pretense of setting up a reviewer account. In truth, it’s often sold to marketing databases or used for more phishing schemes.
Step 4: Affiliate Offer Gauntlet
Once your data is captured, you’re redirected to multiple affiliate offers. These may include:
Surveys requiring sensitive info
Subscription traps with recurring charges
Gambling sites or adult content platforms
Software downloads riddled with adware or malware
Each click and form submission puts money into the scammer’s pockets. None of it brings you closer to employment.
Step 5: Manipulation Through Repetition
To keep you engaged, the platform might say:
“You’re almost done!”
“Complete one more offer to unlock access!”
“Your reviewer account is being prepared—just finish these steps!”
This loop is endless. You’ll never actually gain access to a dashboard or start reviewing music.
Step 6: Viral Spread via Referrals
Some victims are prompted to refer friends in exchange for “faster processing” or “bonus earnings.” This turns victims into unknowing promoters, expanding the scam’s reach.
What to Do If You’ve Fallen Victim to This Scam
If you’ve interacted with the fake Spotify Reviewer Program, take the following steps immediately to protect yourself:
1. Disconnect and Close the Site
Stop engaging with the scam site. Close it down, clear your browser history, and block the URL.
2. Reset Your Credentials
If you reused a password on this site that you also use elsewhere, update your login credentials across these accounts:
Email
Banking
Shopping platforms
Social media profiles
Consider enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) where possible.
3. Scan Your Device Thoroughly
If you downloaded anything, use a trusted antivirus or anti-malware tool to perform a full scan. Remove any flagged files immediately.
4. Monitor Your Financial Accounts
Review your credit and debit card statements for unusual or recurring charges. Cancel any unauthorized subscriptions and report fraud to your bank.
5. File a Report with the Authorities
Don’t keep it to yourself—report the incident to:
Spotify through their official help center
FTC (in the U.S.): reportfraud.ftc.gov
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Anti-phishing groups like APWG
These reports help bring down fraudulent operations over time.
6. Educate and Alert Others
Spread the word on social media, online forums, and review sites. Help others avoid falling for the same trap by sharing your experience.
7. Use Identity Protection Tools
If you provided personal or payment information, consider subscribing to identity theft monitoring services such as:
LifeLock
Aura
IdentityForce
These services can offer peace of mind and real-time alerts if your information is being misused.
Is Your Device Infected? Check for Malware
If your device is running slowly or acting suspicious, it may be infected with malware. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free is a great option for scanning your device and detecting potential malware or viruses. The free version can efficiently check for and remove many common infections.
Malwarebytes can run on Windows, Mac, and Android devices. Depending on which operating system is installed on the device you’re trying to run a Malwarebytes scan, please click on the tab below and follow the displayed steps.
Malwarebytes For WindowsMalwarebytes For MacMalwarebytes For Android
Scan your computer with Malwarebytes for Windows to remove malware
Malwarebytes stands out as one of the leading and widely-used anti-malware solutions for Windows, and for good reason. It effectively eradicates various types of malware that other programs often overlook, all at no cost to you. When it comes to disinfecting an infected device, Malwarebytes has consistently been a free and indispensable tool in the battle against malware. We highly recommend it for maintaining a clean and secure system.
Download Malwarebytes for Windows
You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.
After the download is complete, locate the MBSetup file, typically found in your Downloads folder. Double-click on the MBSetup file to begin the installation of Malwarebytes on your computer. If a User Account Control pop-up appears, click “Yes” to continue the Malwarebytes installation.
Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, the setup wizard will guide you through the process.
You’ll first be prompted to choose the type of computer you’re installing the program on—select either “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” as appropriate, then click on Next.
Malwarebytes will now begin the installation process on your device.
When the Malwarebytes installation is complete, the program will automatically open to the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen.
On the final screen, simply click on the Open Malwarebytes option to start the program.
Enable “Rootkit scanning”.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start, and you will see the main screen as shown below. To maximize Malwarebytes’ ability to detect malware and unwanted programs, we need to enable rootkit scanning. Click on the “Settings” gear icon located on the left of the screen to access the general settings section.
In the settings menu, enable the “Scan for rootkits” option by clicking the toggle switch until it turns blue.
Now that you have enabled rootkit scanning, click on the “Dashboard” button in the left pane to get back to the main screen.
Perform a Scan with Malwarebytes.
To start a scan, click the Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its antivirus database and begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Quarantine detected malware
Once the Malwarebytes scan is complete, it will display a list of detected malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. To effectively remove these threats, click the “Quarantine” button.
Malwarebytes will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the program’s quarantine.
Restart your computer.
When removing files, Malwarebytes may require a reboot to fully eliminate some threats. If you see a message indicating that a reboot is needed, please allow it. Once your computer has restarted and you are logged back in, you can continue with the remaining steps.
Your computer should now be free of trojans, adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing Malwarebytes Premium to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Scan your computer with Malwarebytes for Mac to remove malware
Malwarebytes for Mac is an on-demand scanner that can destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss without costing you absolutely anything. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free, and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
Download Malwarebytes for Mac.
You can download Malwarebytes for Mac by clicking the link below.
When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes for Mac Installer which will guide you through the installation process. Click “Continue“, then keep following the prompts to continue with the installation process.
When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.
Select “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer”.
The Malwarebytes Welcome screen will first ask you what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
Click on “Scan”.
To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes for Mac will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malware that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.
Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
Your Mac should now be free of adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious program on your computer, you might want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove a malicious program from your computer, please ask for help in our Mac Malware Removal Help & Support forum.
Scan your phone with Malwarebytes for Android to remove malware
Malwarebytes for Android automatically detects and removes dangerous threats like malware and ransomware so you don’t have to worry about your most-used device being compromised. Aggressive detection of adware and potentially unwanted programs keeps your Android phone or tablet running smooth.
Download Malwarebytes for Android.
You can download Malwarebytes for Android by clicking the link below.
In the Google Play Store, tap “Install” to install Malwarebytes for Android on your device.
When the installation process has finished, tap “Open” to begin using Malwarebytes for Android. You can also open Malwarebytes by tapping on its icon in your phone menu or home screen.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process
When Malwarebytes will open, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through a series of permissions and other setup options. This is the first of two screens that explain the difference between the Premium and Free versions. Swipe this screen to continue. Tap on “Got it” to proceed to the next step. Malwarebytes for Android will now ask for a set of permissions that are required to scan your device and protect it from malware. Tap on “Give permission” to continue. Tap on “Allow” to permit Malwarebytes to access the files on your phone.
Update database and run a scan with Malwarebytes for Android
You will now be prompted to update the Malwarebytes database and run a full system scan.
Click on “Update database” to update the Malwarebytes for Android definitions to the latest version, then click on “Run full scan” to perform a system scan.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now start scanning your phone for adware and other malicious apps. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Remove Selected”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes for Android has detected. To remove the malicious apps that Malwarebytes has found, tap on the “Remove Selected” button.
Restart your phone.
Malwarebytes for Android will now remove all the malicious apps that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your device.
Your phone should now be free of adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious app on your phone, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your phone after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Restore your phone to factory settings by going to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Spotify Reviewer Program Scam
Is the Spotify Reviewer Program real?
No, the so-called “Spotify Reviewer Program” is not real. It is a scam that falsely claims to pay users to review music but instead leads them through a series of affiliate offers, surveys, and suspicious downloads. Spotify has not announced or endorsed any such program.
How can I tell if a job opportunity like this is a scam?
Watch for these red flags:
The domain is not an official company site (e.g., anything other than spotify.com)
Promises of unusually high pay for simple tasks
A lack of contact information or terms and conditions
Requests for personal or payment information early on
Endless loops of third-party offers instead of actual work
What happens if I give them my information?
If you’ve shared your name, email, or phone number, expect an increase in spam, phishing emails, or scam calls. If you provided payment details, you may face unauthorized charges or hidden subscription fees. It’s crucial to monitor your accounts and take preventive steps immediately.
Why do they want me to complete other offers or download apps?
These steps are part of an affiliate marketing scheme. The scammers earn commissions every time someone signs up for a service, downloads an app, or enters their information. You’re not progressing toward any real job—you’re just generating revenue for the scammers.
Can I really earn $45/hour from Spotify?
No. Spotify does not offer a program that pays individuals $45/hour to review music. Any site or ad making this claim is not affiliated with Spotify and is most likely fraudulent.
I clicked on the ad but didn’t submit anything. Am I still at risk?
If you didn’t enter any information or download files, you’re likely safe. However, clear your browser cache and consider scanning your device for malware to be cautious. Avoid revisiting the site and block the domain from your browser.
What should I do if I downloaded something?
Immediately run a full antivirus and anti-malware scan using reputable software. If you notice unusual device behavior, consider performing a factory reset or getting professional tech support to inspect your device.
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): www.ic3.gov
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Your country’s cybercrime unit or consumer protection agency
The Bottom Line
The “Spotify Reviewer Program” scam is a sophisticated trap that exploits trust, curiosity, and the universal desire to earn money online. While it may look and sound legitimate, it’s a carefully orchestrated scheme that leads to wasted time, financial loss, and personal data exposure.
Always verify job opportunities by visiting the company’s official website directly. Be especially wary of any offer that asks for personal data or requires completing unrelated tasks to unlock access. Remember: real jobs pay you, not the other way around.
Protect yourself, stay skeptical, and share this article with friends and family to help shut down this scam once and for all.
How to Stay Safe Online
Here are 10 basic security tips to help you avoid malware and protect your device:
Use a good antivirus and keep it up-to-date.
It's essential to use a good quality antivirus and keep it up-to-date to stay ahead of the latest cyber threats. We are huge fans of Malwarebytes Premium and use it on all of our devices, including Windows and Mac computers as well as our mobile devices. Malwarebytes sits beside your traditional antivirus, filling in any gaps in its defenses, and providing extra protection against sneakier security threats.
Keep software and operating systems up-to-date.
Keep your operating system and apps up to date. Whenever an update is released for your device, download and install it right away. These updates often include security fixes, vulnerability patches, and other necessary maintenance.
Be careful when installing programs and apps.
Pay close attention to installation screens and license agreements when installing software. Custom or advanced installation options will often disclose any third-party software that is also being installed. Take great care in every stage of the process and make sure you know what it is you're agreeing to before you click "Next."
Install an ad blocker.
Use a browser-based content blocker, like AdGuard. Content blockers help stop malicious ads, Trojans, phishing, and other undesirable content that an antivirus product alone may not stop.
Be careful what you download.
A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware—programs or apps that carry malware or try to steal information. This malware can be disguised as an app: anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the weather.
Be alert for people trying to trick you.
Whether it's your email, phone, messenger, or other applications, always be alert and on guard for someone trying to trick you into clicking on links or replying to messages. Remember that it's easy to spoof phone numbers, so a familiar name or number doesn't make messages more trustworthy.
Back up your data.
Back up your data frequently and check that your backup data can be restored. You can do this manually on an external HDD/USB stick, or automatically using backup software. This is also the best way to counter ransomware. Never connect the backup drive to a computer if you suspect that the computer is infected with malware.
Choose strong passwords.
Use strong and unique passwords for each of your accounts. Avoid using personal information or easily guessable words in your passwords. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts whenever possible.
Be careful where you click.
Be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. These could potentially contain malware or phishing scams.
Don't use pirated software.
Avoid using Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing programs, keygens, cracks, and other pirated software that can often compromise your data, privacy, or both.
To avoid potential dangers on the internet, it's important to follow these 10 basic safety rules. By doing so, you can protect yourself from many of the unpleasant surprises that can arise when using the web.
Thomas is an expert at uncovering scams and providing in-depth reporting on cyber threats and online fraud. As an editor, he is dedicated to keeping readers informed on the latest developments in cybersecurity and tech.
