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Checking employers and job offers

Fake cheque and equipment scams in job offers

How job scams use fake cheques, overpayments and equipment purchases, why the funds can look cleared and what to do if you have deposited or sent money.

By LuceriaPublished Updated

How the scam works

  1. You are 'hired' quickly, often for remote, assistant, mystery shopping or caregiver work.
  2. The employer sends a cheque or payment, usually for more than you are owed.
  3. You are asked to deposit it and send some of the money on: to an equipment supplier, a colleague, as gift cards or as a refund of an 'overpayment'.
  4. Your bank later finds the cheque is fake and takes the amount back from your account.
  5. The money you sent cannot usually be recovered.

The FTC describes this pattern in job scams for mystery shoppers, personal assistants, nannies and caregivers, and in overpayment scams generally.

Why the money looks real

Banks often make deposited funds available before a cheque has fully cleared, so the balance can rise even though the cheque is later found to be fake. Seeing the money in your account is therefore not proof that it is real. The FTC's advice is never to rely on a 'cleared' cheque from someone you do not know.

Variations to watch for

Common versions of the fake cheque job scam
VersionThe request
Home office equipmentBuy a laptop or software from 'our approved supplier' using the cheque
Personal assistantBuy gift cards and send the codes to your manager
Mystery shopperEvaluate a money transfer service by sending part of the cheque through it
OverpaymentWe paid you too much by mistake; please refund the difference today
Car wrap advertisingDeposit a cheque and pay the decal installer

Illustrative example

An overpayment message

  • 'Our accounts team accidentally sent your first two weeks of pay together. Please transfer back the second week to our supplier today so payroll balances.'

Urgency, a reason why you must move money, and a third party to send it to. A real payroll team corrects its own errors.

If you have already deposited a cheque or sent money

  1. Stop sending any further money or gift cards.
  2. Contact your bank or the payment service at once, tell them it is a scam and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed.
  3. If you bought gift cards, contact the card company quickly with the details.
  4. Report it: in the US to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; in the UK to Report Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland, as GOV.UK explains.
  5. Keep every message, receipt and bank record.

Common questions

Is it ever normal to buy work equipment yourself?

Some self-employed work involves buying your own tools, but an employer that sends you money to pass on to a supplier is following the fake cheque pattern, not a normal process.

Could I be in trouble for depositing a fake cheque?

Your bank may hold you responsible for the amount. Tell the bank immediately that you were scammed and report it; acting quickly gives the bank and police more to work with.

Sources

Put it into practice

See how Luceria helps with this
Asked to pay for a job? What the rules sayMoney mule job advertsIf you shared details with a job scammerMore on checking employers and job offers

Drafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.