If a job offer asks you to pay up front or deposit a check and send money back, it is a scam.

What they say

“You are hired as a mystery shopper and mailed a check to deposit. Your first “assignment” is to buy gift cards or wire most of the money back to test a store or transfer service, keeping a small amount as pay.”

How to tell it’s a scam

• The check is fake. It looks good for a few days, then bounces, and the bank claws back every dollar, including the money you already sent on.
• Real mystery shopping never requires you to deposit a check and send money back, and legitimate shops pay modest amounts.
• Any job that hands you money first and asks you to forward part of it is a fake-check scam.

What they say

“A “shipping coordinator” or “quality control” job has you receive packages at your home, then repackage and forward them to other addresses, sometimes overseas, with the promise of weekly pay.”

How to tell it’s a scam

• The packages are usually goods bought with stolen cards, and you are being used to launder them. The promised pay rarely arrives.
• Forwarding packages for an employer you only met online can make you part of a crime and expose your home address and identity.
• A job whose entire task is receiving and reshipping merchandise is a known scam structure.

What they say

“After a quick chat over text or a messaging app, you are hired with no real interview. They send a check or transfer to buy a laptop or equipment from a specific vendor, or ask for your bank details to set up “payroll.””

How to tell it’s a scam

• A real employer interviews you properly and does not hire over a few texts, then route you to a specific vendor with their money.
• The equipment check is a fake-check scam, and the vendor is controlled by the scammer.
• Handing over bank logins or a Social Security number for “payroll” before any real hire is how they take your identity or your account.

What they say

“An app or chat invites you to earn money doing simple tasks like rating products or apps. Early payouts are small but real, then you are told to deposit your own money to “unlock” higher-paying batches.”

How to tell it’s a scam

• The small early payouts exist to build trust before they ask for your money. Once you deposit to unlock more, the deposits keep growing and the cash-out never comes.
• A real job pays you. It never requires you to put your own money in to access work.
• Recruitment by surprise text or chat for vague “tasks” with commissions is a common 2025 to 2026 scam pattern.

What they say

“A “financial agent” or “payment processor” role asks you to receive money into your own bank account, then forward it on, keeping a cut. It may be framed as helping a company move funds or process refunds.”

How to tell it’s a scam

• Moving money through your account for an employer you met online makes you a money mule, which is illegal and can freeze your accounts.
• The money is usually stolen, and you are the traceable middle link the real scammer hides behind.
• No legitimate job runs its customer payments through a new hire’s personal bank account.