What is the fake check job scam?

LiveRec EditorialUpdated

US rules and agencies as of 30 Oct 2026. Official links checked on 30 October 2026.

In the fake check scam, a "new employer" sends you a check, tells you to deposit it and send money onward. The check later bounces and the bank takes the funds back from you. The FTC says no honest employer will ever send you a check to deposit and then ask you to send money back.

How it works

  1. You are "hired" after a chat-only interview.
  2. A check arrives by mail or mobile deposit for "equipment" or "the first pay".
  3. You are told to keep some and buy gift cards, pay a vendor or wire the rest.
  4. Days later the bank finds the check is fake. The money you sent is gone and the bank reverses the deposit.

A bank can make funds available before the check has fully cleared. That does not mean the check is good.

Interview red flags

  • Interview by text or chat only, with no live conversation.
  • No questions about your experience; you are hired almost at once.
  • Questions about your bank account, card or online banking login.
  • A "manager" who cannot be reached except on a messaging app.

The FTC says reshipping goods is never a real job. If you are told to receive packages and forward them, you are being used to move stolen goods.

What to do

  • Do not deposit the check. If you already did, do not send any money. Tell your bank right away.
  • Save the envelope, the check image and the messages.
  • Report it and follow what to do if you paid if money left your account.

Step by step: what to do if a check arrives

  1. Do not deposit it, and do not buy anything or send money.
  2. Do not follow instructions to keep part and return the rest. The FTC says legitimate employers never do this.
  3. Ask for the employer's HR contact and verify it through the company's own website.
  4. Save the check, envelope and messages.
  5. Report it.

If you already deposited it or sent money

Tell your bank or credit union immediately. If you sent money, the FTC advises contacting the company you used to send it, saying you were tricked and asking for a reversal. By method: a card issuer or bank for card payments, the card issuer for gift cards (keep the card and receipt), and the exchange or ATM operator for cryptocurrency. Then follow what to do if you paid.

Common mistakes

  • Treating the bank's "funds available" notice as proof the check is good.
  • Spending a small part "while it clears".
  • Believing the sender when they say a mistake was made and ask you to send back the difference.
  • Keeping quiet because the money is already gone. Banks and the FTC need the details.

Chat-only interviews

A hiring process that happens only in text, with immediate offers and no questions about your work, is a warning sign. Ask for a phone or video conversation. On LiveRec, interviews can run as video interviews inside LiveRec.

FAQ

The bank let me withdraw the money. Is the check real? No. Availability of funds is not proof of a good check.

Is a background check fee ever deposited by the employer? No legitimate step requires you to forward money.

What is a reshipping scam? You receive packages and forward them to another address. The FTC says reshipping goods is never a real job.

Why did my bank release the funds if the check was fake? Funds can be made available before the check clears. That does not mean it is good, so you can owe the bank what was reversed.

Sources

  • FTC, Job scams: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams (accessed 30 Oct 2026)
  • FTC, ReportFraud: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov (accessed 30 Oct 2026)
  • FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): https://www.ic3.gov (accessed 30 Oct 2026)
  • FTC, What To Do if You Were Scammed: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed (accessed 31 October 2026)

Next step: Know what to do if you paid.

This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change and your situation may differ. Consult a licensed attorney or qualified adviser.