Jobs & Income

The job that pays you first

You are offered a job with little or no interview, then sent a check to deposit with instructions to forward part of it to a "vendor". The check bounces days later. The money you forwarded was yours.

How does it work?

Banks must make deposited funds available quickly, often before the check has truly cleared. Available does not mean good. When the check fails, the bank takes the full amount back from you.

A newer version pays small sums for simple online "tasks", then asks you to deposit your own money to reach the next level of earnings.

Both versions collect a lot of personal data along the way under the cover of onboarding.

What does one look like?

Email ยท A free webmail address using a real company nameIllustrative example
Congratulations, you have been selected for the Remote Administrative Assistant position at $38/hr. We are mailing a check for $2,950 to cover your home office equipment. Deposit it, keep $450 as your first week pay, and send the remaining $2,500 by Zelle to our approved equipment vendor.
  1. Hired without speaking to anyone.
  2. A check for more than you are owed, with the extra to be sent on.
  3. Money leaves by a method that cannot be pulled back.

What are the warning signs?

  • An offer arrives for a job you did not apply for.
  • The interview is text chat only.
  • You are sent a check and asked to send money anywhere.
  • You must pay for training, equipment, or to release your earnings.

How do I check it myself?

  1. Find the company careers page yourself and look for the role.
  2. Call the company through its main switchboard and ask whether the recruiter works there.
  3. Never send money as a condition of being paid.

What if I already acted?

  • Deposited the check? Tell your bank now, before forwarding anything.
  • Already forwarded money? Report it to the bank or payment app immediately and ask for a reversal.
  • Gave your Social Security number? IdentityTheft.gov has steps for that situation, whether or not it has been misused.

See the full recovery steps

Sources

Written by the Scammer Checker editors. Published September 21, 2026. Reviewed against the sources above on September 21, 2026. The example is ours and uses reserved example domains.