Scammers are aggressively targeting community job seekers with offers that look legitimate at first glance. The goal is almost never to hire anyone. The goal is money and data. Below are the most common versions, how they operate, what the crooks are after, the red flags to watch for, prevention tips, and where to report what you see.
• Task Jobs That Demand Upfront Payments
How it works
You get a text or message about easy online work. You are told to like videos, rate products, or complete app optimization tasks while a dashboard shows fake earnings. After small initial payouts to build trust, you are told to deposit your own money to unlock the next task group or to withdraw the “balance.” The money you send is gone.
What the scammers want
Your cash through crypto, gift cards, wires, or payment apps. They may also capture your phone number, device data, and identity details during the setup.
Real life examples
A Georgia woman accepted a remote “task” job and ultimately lost nearly thirty thousand dollars after being pressured to send incremental payments to continue working.
A Colorado man publicly warned neighbors after nearly falling for a similar task job that began with an unsolicited message and a polished web portal.
How to identify the scam
Unexpected job outreach through text or messaging apps. Fake web dashboards that always show profits but lock withdrawals until you pay in. Pressure to use cryptocurrency or gift cards. Vague job descriptions that do not match any real company role.
How to prevent it
Ignore unsolicited task job messages. Never pay to get paid. Do not connect your wallet or bank account to any platform you did not verify independently.
• Equipment Purchase And Fake Reimbursement Checks
How it works
An impostor employer hires quickly and sends you a check to buy a laptop or software from their “approved vendor.” The check initially shows as deposited, you forward funds, then the bank reverses the deposit as counterfeit. You are left owing the entire amount.
What the scammers want
Your money via transfers to their fake vendor and your identity documents gathered during onboarding.
Real life examples
A Chicago consumer received a check as a new hire and was told to buy home office gear from a specific vendor. The check bounced after he forwarded the funds, leaving him on the hook.
Campus security teams around the country have warned students about nearly identical equipment check ploys directed at new hires for supposed remote roles.
How to identify the scam
Rapid hiring by chat only. Checks for equipment or overpayments with instructions to forward the surplus. No listing for the job on the real company site.
How to prevent it
Refuse any request to deposit a check and forward funds. Independently call the real company using a number you find yourself. Ask your bank to verify funds before you move a dollar.
• Reshipping And Package Processing
How it works
You are “hired” to receive packages, inspect them, and reship. The parcels are often bought with stolen cards. Pay never arrives. Some victims later face questions from law enforcement.
What the scammers want
A physical address to move stolen goods and a person who will relabel and forward items so the crime is harder to trace.
Real life examples
A Toledo woman took a work from home reshipping job and later learned she might face identity fraud charges after unknowingly moving stolen merchandise.
A victim named Cathy shared how a reshipping role evolved into a complex scheme that spoofed payments and left her responsible for charges she never authorized.
How to identify the scam
A new employer asks you to accept and reship goods from your home. Payments are delayed or “pending.” The company has no verifiable address or history.
How to prevent it
Do not accept reshipping jobs. If packages arrive you did not order, contact the carrier and the seller. Keep all labels and messages.
• Instant Hire Identity Theft Impostors
How it works
Scammers impersonate real companies and recruiters. They conduct interviews over chat only, send convincing offer letters, then request your Social Security number, driver license, direct deposit forms, and copies of utility bills. Some victims are asked for a small payment for a background check or onboarding.
What the scammers want
Full identity data to open accounts, take over benefits, or commit tax and credit fraud. Some also try to extract a quick payment during “screening.”
Real life examples
A Chicago area job seeker reported that after a remote chat interview she handed over documents, then learned her identity had been used elsewhere.
A Twin Cities professional went through multiple virtual interviews with what appeared to be a real tech firm. The role and the recruiters were fake. The crooks attempted to grab both her personal data and money.
How to identify the scam
No video call with a company email calendar invite. Recruiters who refuse to meet on camera. Job not posted on the company’s own careers page. Requests for scans of sensitive IDs before a formal HR process.
How to prevent it
Verify the recruiter on the company site and LinkedIn. Use a dedicated email and a virtual phone number for applications. Never share full identity documents until the offer is confirmed by a known HR contact at a known company domain.
• Payment Handling And Money Mule Roles
How it works
You are offered a job as a payments coordinator or financial agent. You are told to receive deposits or checks and forward the funds to clients or contractors. This launders criminal proceeds and can expose you to civil or criminal liability.
What the scammers want
Your bank accounts and your name to move stolen money while masking the true source.
Real life examples
Federal agencies have run nationwide actions against thousands of money mules, including students recruited to open accounts and transport funds.
An elderly victim in a separate case described being groomed into opening accounts and moving money, later pleading guilty for her role.
How to identify the scam
A new employer asks you to open new bank accounts or receive and forward funds. Vague business details. Salary tied to a percentage of money you move.
How to prevent it
Never accept any role that involves moving money for strangers. If funds suddenly arrive in your account, contact your bank and do not forward the money.
How To Protect Yourself Across All Scam Types
Search the company on its official site and call a listed main number to confirm the job.
Refuse any request to pay upfront for training, equipment, or task access.
Expect a live video interview using a company email calendar invite.
Use unique resumes without full birth date or full address. Use a dedicated email and a virtual number.
Freeze your credit proactively and enable two factor authentication on email and financial accounts.
Keep screenshots of messages, offer letters, checks, labels, and website links.
Where To Report
ReportFraud.ftc.gov for job and task scams
IC3.gov for online fraud and cryptocurrency payment demands
US Postal Inspection Service for reshipping or mail based fraud
Your state attorney general for deceptive employment practices
BBB Scam Tracker to warn neighbors and spot patterns
Your bank or payment provider to attempt reversals where possible
Reported by E-Safe, www.e-safe.us
Sourcing
FTC Consumer Alert on task scams. Consumer Advice
FTC press summary of rising reports and losses tied to game style job scams. Federal Trade Commission
The Verge coverage of FTC data on task scams and tactics. The Verge
Associated Press overview of the surge in job scams and why they fool people. AP News
Washington Post column on soaring employment scams and added risk for newly laid off workers. The Washington Post
11Alive Atlanta investigation of a Georgia victim who lost nearly thirty thousand dollars to a task job scheme. 11Alive
KOAA Colorado report on a resident who nearly fell for a task job fraud after unsolicited outreach. KOAA News 5
CBS Chicago report about a fake check and equipment purchase demanded by impostor employers. CBS News
University of Wisconsin IT advisory explaining fake check equipment scams aimed at new hires. UW–Madison Information Technology
13abc Toledo segment on a reshipping victim and USPS warnings. https://www.13abc.com
AARP podcast episode detailing a reshipping victim’s experience and how the scheme evolved. AARP
ABC7 Chicago investigation on work from home scams that led to identity theft. ABC7 Chicago
FOX 9 Twin Cities story on a sophisticated interview impostor scam targeting a Minnesota professional. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
DOJ press release on a facilitator sentenced in a nationwide remote worker identity scheme. Justice Department
FBI guidance on money mules and how criminals recruit payment handlers. Federal Bureau of Investigation
CFTC warning to students and job seekers about money mule recruiting. CFTC
FBI page on cryptocurrency based job scams that require victim deposits. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Prepared for community awareness by E-Safe, www.e-safe.us, Where Community Comes First.
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