man job-scam-red-flags
Job and Employment Scams
The fake-job playbook, including 'task' scams, and how to tell a real offer apart.
$501M losses to job and employment-agency scams in 2024 (FTC, 2025).
By the numbers
- $501M losses to job and employment-agency scams in 2024 (FTC, 2025)
- ~4x rise in gamified 'task scam' reports in 2024 (FTC, 2024)
- $0 a real job never asks you to pay to start (rule of thumb)
Signs the job is fake
- Hired with no real interview. An offer over chat or text after a few questions, often for 'easy' remote work.
- You are asked to pay to start. Fees for training, equipment, or a 'starter kit' for your own job.
- 'Task' jobs that pay you, then ask for deposits. Gamified apps that show earnings, then require you to add money to keep going.
Payment and identity red flags
- A check to deposit and forward. Overpayment by check, then asked to buy gift cards or wire back the difference.
- Sensitive details up front. Bank logins, SSN, or ID demanded before any genuine hiring step.
Where fake jobs reach you
- Unsolicited offers by text or chat. A recruiter messaging out of the blue with an easy, high-pay role.
- Spoofed company names. A real brand's name on a free-mail address or a look-alike domain.
- Reshipping and 'task' work. Jobs that have you receive and resend packages, or apps paying for repetitive tasks.
Do and don't
Do
- Apply through the company's official website and verify the recruiter there.
- Search the company name together with words like 'scam' or 'review'.
- Keep your bank logins and ID private until a verified, signed offer.
- Treat any request to pay, or to deposit and forward money, as a scam.
Don't
- Do not pay for training, equipment, or a 'starter kit' for a job.
- Do not deposit a check and send part of it back. The check will bounce.
- Do not add your own money to 'unlock' tasks or earnings.
- Do not hand over your SSN or bank logins before a legitimate hire.
The one move
A real employer never asks you to pay to work, to deposit a check and send money back, or to hand over bank logins before day one. Verify the company through its official site and apply there directly.
If it happens
- Stop sending money and cut off contact.
- If you deposited a check, tell your bank now. You are liable when it bounces.
- Change any passwords or revoke any access you shared.
- Report to reportfraud.ftc.gov and, for reshipping, to the FBI at ic3.gov.
Go deeper
For the bigger picture, read what is social engineering and how to spot a phishing email. See these warning signs in real cases in the weekly briefings.
Frequently asked questions
// guides/job-scam-red-flags --helpWhat are the red flags of job and employment scams?
Watch for hired with no real interview, you are asked to pay to start, 'task' jobs that pay you, then ask for deposits, a check to deposit and forward, plus any pressure to act fast, skip a check, or keep it secret.
What is the one move that stops it?
A real employer never asks you to pay to work, to deposit a check and send money back, or to hand over bank logins before day one. Verify the company through its official site and apply there directly.
What should I do if it already happened?
Stop sending money and cut off contact. If you deposited a check, tell your bank now. You are liable when it bounces. Change any passwords or revoke any access you shared. Report to reportfraud.ftc.gov and, for reshipping, to the FBI at ic3.gov.