No, the Freecash App Won’t Pay You to Scroll TikTok

I archetypal encountered the Freecash app aft clicking connected a sponsored TikTok video with dubious claims. The advertisement didn’t beforehand this app by name, alternatively it showed a young pistillate expressing her excitement astir seemingly getting hired by TikTok astatine $35 an hr to ticker videos connected her “For You” page.

When I tapped the nexus to “order now,” it sent maine to a website with TikTok and Freecash logos, featuring a download nexus for the Freecash app. “Get paid to scroll,” work the site. “Join thousands earning regular by watching TikTok videos and cashing retired instantly.”

In the archetypal period of 2026, Freecash has rocketed to popularity among US users. This week it reached the fig 2 presumption connected Apple’s escaped iOS download charts, nestled betwixt ChatGPT and Gemini. The bump successful downloads coincides with a spree of ads promoting the Freecash app.

The app appears to utilize the acquainted strategy of offering rewards to users who stock their accusation oregon implicit online tasks. As a child, I retrieve entering my dad’s email and code into immoderate pop-ups for a escaped iTunes giftcard, which ne'er shipped america the promised $20 successful downloads and apt conscionable clogged his inbox with spam. (Please forgive me.)

While Freecash does really wage retired wealth to users, it's not for scrolling societal media. The app’s concern exemplary is centered astir getting caller users to play mobile games and past providing the players with monetary rewards. Those promises of nonstop payments to scroll aimlessly connected TikTok dependable excessively bully to beryllium true, due to the fact that they are.

Ben Rathe, a spokesperson for TikTok, says the Freecash ads interruption TikTok’s rules barring fiscal misrepresentation. Rathe says the ads successful question were removed, aft WIRED reached out, for what the institution deemed arsenic deceptive marketing. The societal media level forbids ads designed “to scam individuals retired of wealth oregon idiosyncratic data,” according to TikTok’s advertizing policies.

The institution down Freecash claims that it did not straight nutrient the ads that I encountered connected TikTok. Rather, the selling was “generated by third-party affiliate partners,” says Elizaveta Shulyndina, a spokesperson for Freecash’s genitor company. “We’re reviewing enactment with applicable partners and tightening monitoring.”

Back connected my TikTok feed, aft I tapped connected that archetypal sponsored post, the barrage of boosted videos promoting Freecash grew incessant. A station with implicit 150,000 likes showed a ma and her young lad traveling to the store together, due to the fact that she could bargain her “son immoderate helium wants present that I’m paid to ticker TikTok.” Other sponsored videos showed much radical enthusiastic astir the magnitude of currency they are getting paid to scroll TikTok.

It’s not wide if the women and children appearing successful the TikTok ads are really the radical promoting Freecash. Many of the ads originated from TikTok accounts with minuscule followings oregon accounts with zero different publically viewable videos.

When I yet downloaded the app, alternatively than instantly uncovering ways to person immoderate benignant of kickback for scrolling connected TikTok, I was directed to download aggregate mobile games, similar Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire.

Then, I was yet fixed the enactment to implicit challenges successful a constricted magnitude of clip to gain money. The Monopoly Go challenges included currency rewards ranging from $0.01, for playing the crippled for 2 minutes each day, to $123, for reaching level 300 successful little than 3 months.

The institution down Freecash, called Almedia, is based successful Berlin. Almedia operates the Freecash app arsenic an advertizing level that matches mobile crippled developers with caller users who not lone instal the apps but volition besides walk money.