Fake Job Interviews Steal Data
The recruiter found you, the interview was over chat, and you got the job in a day — now they need your bank details for payroll and want you to cash some checks. Fake job scams harvest identities, launder money through victims, or extract upfront 'equipment' fees. Real hiring never works like this.
TL;DR / Quick Fix
Fake recruiters offer easy remote jobs, then ask you to cash checks, buy equipment with your money, or pay for training. Real employers never ask you to move money or buy gear upfront. Verify the company independently, and never deposit a stranger's check.
Follow these steps
- Verify the company independently. Search the company yourself — official site, real phone number, real employees on professional networks. Scammers spoof all of it; verify outside their links.
- Reject chat-only interviews for real jobs. Legitimate employers do video or phone interviews. Text-only 'interviews' that hire in hours are a scam hallmark — see upfront-fee scams.
- Never cash checks for an employer. The overpayment check is the classic: the check bounces weeks later and you owe the bank everything you forwarded.
- Never pay for equipment or training upfront. Real employers provide gear or deduct properly through payroll. 'Buy the laptop from our vendor' means your money goes to the scammer's vendor.
- Guard your SSN and ID copies. Provide sensitive documents only after verified employment through official HR channels — never in a chat interview's first week.
- Report the listing. Report to the job platform, the FTC, and the impersonated company. Fake listings get removed only when people report them.
What NOT to do
- Do not deposit a check from a 'new employer' and forward part of it. This is money laundering through your account — the legal exposure is yours.
- Do not download their 'interview software.' Task and interview scams distribute malware disguised as assessments or onboarding tools.
- Do not pay a placement or training fee. Real recruiters are paid by the employer; fees flowing from candidate to recruiter mean scam.
- Do not use the contact info they gave you to verify them. Verify through independently found channels — their references are part of the act.
Frequently asked questions
Can a real company hire over text chat?
Essentially never for legitimate roles. Real hiring involves verifiable humans, official domains, and paperwork — chat-only hiring is the scam's convenience, not the industry's.
They sent me a real-looking check — is it fake?
Counterfeit cashier's checks look flawless and still bounce. Banks must make funds available quickly by law, then reverse them weeks later when the fraud surfaces.
What if I already cashed their check?
Tell your bank immediately, do not spend or forward the money, and report to law enforcement. Fast honesty limits your liability.