Job & Employment Scams

Employment scams target people at a vulnerable moment: when they need income. Scammers post fake listings on legitimate job boards, impersonate real recruiters and companies, and design "jobs" whose only purpose is to take your money or identity.

Common Types of Job Scams:

• The Fake Check: You're "hired" and sent a check to buy home-office equipment through the company's "preferred vendor." The check later bounces, but the money you forwarded is gone, and you owe the bank.
• Task Scams: You're paid small amounts for simple online tasks (rating apps, "boosting" products), then told you must deposit your own cryptocurrency to unlock higher-paying tiers or withdraw earnings you've already accrued.
• Identity Harvesting: A convincing application or "onboarding" process collects your Social Security number, driver's license, and bank details: everything needed to steal your identity.
• Reshipping "Jobs": You receive packages at home, then reship them abroad. The goods were bought with stolen cards, and you've become part of the laundering chain (see Money Mule Schemes).
• Recruiter Fees: Bogus recruiters demand payment for training, certification, background checks, or "visa processing" before you can start.

Key Red Flags:

• You're hired quickly, without a real interview, or interviewed entirely over text or a chat app.
• Pay that's far above market rate for easy remote work.
• Any request to pay money, buy equipment, or deposit crypto to get or keep a job.
• A check to deposit followed by instructions to send some of it elsewhere.
• Recruiter emails from free accounts (Gmail, Outlook) rather than a company domain.
• Requests for your SSN or banking details before an official, verifiable offer.

How to Protect Yourself:

• Verify the listing at the source: Find the company's official careers page yourself and confirm the position exists.
• Never pay to get paid: Legitimate employers cover their own hiring and equipment costs.
• Treat checks with suspicion: Never deposit a check and forward money. Banks can take weeks to detect a fake, and you're liable.
• Guard your identity documents until you've verified the employer and signed a real offer.