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Fake Job & Check Scams

A "job" that sends you a check before you have done any work is reaching for your bank account.

A recruiter contacts you by text, WhatsApp, KakaoTalk, or through a real job site, offering easy remote work with good pay: data entry, product reviews, "task" apps, or package reshipping. Some send a realistic check to buy "equipment" and tell you to wire the leftover money to a "vendor." The check later bounces, and the money you sent came out of your own account. Others make you complete small paid tasks, then require "deposits" to unlock bigger earnings. Some are only after the personal information on your "employment forms," like your SSN and bank details.

Watch: how this scam works

Published by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission · 3:00 Open the original

Warning signs

  • You are offered a job, or even hired, without a real interview.
  • The "employer" sends a check and tells you to buy equipment from their vendor and wire back the rest.
  • You must pay first: training fees, deposits, or "task upgrades" to unlock your earnings.
  • They ask for your SSN, driver's license, or bank login early, before any real hiring process.
  • All communication happens in chat apps, and the company's email is a free Gmail-style address.
  • The pay is far above normal for very simple work, like hundreds of dollars a day for clicking "like."

How to protect yourself

  • A real employer never sends money before you work, and never asks you to send money back. Both are proof of a scam.
  • Never deposit a check from a company you have not verified, and never wire "leftover" money from any check.
  • Look up the company yourself: official website, phone number, and reviews. Then call the company directly to confirm the job posting is real.
  • Give your SSN and bank details only after a verified offer, for payroll, from a company you confirmed.
  • Be suspicious of jobs offered by text out of nowhere. Real recruiters do not hire strangers by chat.

If it happened to you

  1. If you deposited their check, call your bank immediately. Do not spend or send any of that money.
  2. If you sent money, ask your bank or the wire service to stop or recall the transfer right away.
  3. If you shared your SSN or bank login, change your bank passwords and start at IdentityTheft.gov.
  4. Save the job posting, chat logs, and payment records, then report. Your report helps take the fake postings down.

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