Fake Job Offer Check Scam
Scam "employers" send checks for equipment—you deposit, send back "extra," check bounces. Real employers never send checks before you start.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Job offer without video interview
- ⚠Asked to deposit checks from employer
- ⚠Buy supplies and send back excess
- ⚠Payment via gift cards
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →REFUSE checks from employers you haven't met
- →NEVER SEND money for any job
- →INSIST on video/phone interviews
- →Real employers don't pay before you start
More Details
- “Congratulations, you're hired!”
- “We'll send a check for home office setup”
- “Keep $500, send the rest back”
- “We do interviews via chat”
Common Questions
Red flags: hired without video interview, sent check before starting, asked to buy equipment and return extra, communication only via Telegram.
Never. Legitimate employers don't send checks before you start. It's a fake check scam.
Recruited for "simple tasks" (rating products). Small initial payments are real. Then you must deposit to unlock more — that deposit is stolen.
Yes. "Payment processor" jobs are money laundering. You could face federal charges even if you didn't know.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
Know someone who might fall for this? Share this warning with them.
Related Scams
Fake Check Overpayment Scam
Scammers send a check for more than agreed, then request you wire back the "extra." The check bounces days later—you owe the bank everything.
Online Task/Review Job Scam
Fake "task" jobs pay for rating products. After small initial payments, victims must "deposit" to continue. FBI IC3: 20,044 complaints, $264M losses (276% increase).
LinkedIn Job Offer Scam
Fake LinkedIn profiles impersonate recruiters from real companies. They collect personal info or money through fake hiring.
Think you received a message like this?
Free • Private • No signup required
🔒 We analyze your message — then it's gone.
73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)