Job Scams: Fake Recruiters, Task Scams and the Equipment Check
The recruiter texted you, the interview was a chat, and the job pays too well to be true. Here is how job scams work, including task scams and the equipment check, and how to get out.
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📐 Figures verified Sep 28, 2026 against the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center's 2025 Internet Crime Report and the FTC's guidance on job scams. Reported losses undercount the real total; most scams are never reported.
A real job never asks you to pay to get paid. Job scams offer easy remote work, then charge for training or equipment, send a fake check, ask for "deposits" to unlock tasks, or collect your Social Security and bank details. Employment complaints to the FBI rose to 24,688 in 2025, with $362.9 million lost.
Numbers That Matter
| Figure | Amount | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment scam complaints to the FBI, 2025 | 24,688, up from 20,044 in 2024; $362.9 million lost | FBI IC3 2025 report | Sep 28, 2026 |
| The rule that catches most job scams | An employer who asks you to pay for the job, training or equipment is a scammer | FTC | Sep 28, 2026 |
| The fake check variant | A check for equipment, with part of it to send on | FTC | Sep 28, 2026 |
| Where to report | The FTC, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov | Federal Trade Commission | Sep 28, 2026 |
| What to do next | Stop paying, contact whoever moved the money, protect your identity | FTC | Sep 28, 2026 |
How Job Scams Work
The offer finds you: a text or messaging-app contact from a "recruiter," a post on a job board, or a reply to your résumé. The work sounds simple and flexible, such as data entry, reshipping packages, being a personal assistant or "rating products" online, and the pay is well above what the work is worth. The interview happens only by chat, and you are hired almost at once.
Then the costs appear. Some scams mail a check to buy equipment from a "vendor," which is the fake check scam. Some ask for a Social Security number and bank login for "payroll" on day one. Task scams show earnings in an app for completing batches of online tasks, then require you to deposit your own money, often crypto, to unlock the next batch or withdraw what you have "earned," and the deposits keep growing.
The Tells
- You are asked to pay for training, equipment, a starter kit or a "deposit."
- A check arrives before you have started, with instructions to send money on.
- The interview is only by text or chat, and the offer comes immediately.
- The pay is far above normal for simple work.
- You are asked for your Social Security number or bank login before any paperwork from a verifiable employer.
The Script to Get Out
Say you don't pay to work, and stop replying. Look the company up yourself, and contact it through the careers page on its own website to confirm the job exists. Never deposit a check from an employer you haven't verified, and don't reship packages for anyone you haven't met.
If You Already Paid or Shared Information
Contact your bank, the payment app or the crypto exchange right away. If you shared your Social Security number or bank details, freeze your credit, change your banking passwords and get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov. Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov, and report the posting to the job site.
Worked Example
- Week one: a recruiter texts about "rating products" from home. You finish tasks and the app shows $180 in earnings; a $50 test withdrawal arrives.
- Week two: a "combination task" puts your account $400 in the negative, and you must deposit $400 in crypto to continue.
- Week three: to withdraw $2,300 in "earnings," you are told to deposit $1,500 more.
- The truth: the earnings were numbers on a screen. You are down $1,850 ($400 + $1,500 − $50), and the next deposit would only add to it.
An illustration of the task-scam pattern.
Decision Rules
If this, then that
- If a job asks you to pay anything upfront → it's a scam
- If an employer sends a check before you start → don't deposit it or send money from it
- If a recruiter contacts you out of the blue by text → verify the company through its own website before replying
- If you shared your SSN or bank details → freeze your credit and change your passwords today
Mistakes to avoid
- Paying to unlock tasks or withdrawals.
- Depositing an equipment check from a new employer.
- Reshipping packages for a stranger.
- Sending your SSN before verifying the employer.
Related: First 24 Hours After a Scam gives the recovery steps in order; the Fraud Map shows reported losses per resident in every state; and the Scams & Fraud Protection hub collects every guide.