Phone scams › Job and employment scam

Job Scams: Fake Recruiters, Reshipping Work and Check Overpayments

Employment scams pose as recruiters offering easy remote work, then extract money via fake-check 'equipment purchases', paid 'task platforms' that require deposits, or reshipping stolen goods from your home. Real employers never send checks before you start, never charge you to work, and never recruit via unsolicited texts offering hundreds per day.

Also known as: fake recruiter text, task scam, reshipping scam, check overpayment job.

By the LookUpSomeone editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-08-06

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How does the Job and employment scam work?

An unsolicited text/WhatsApp/Telegram message offers flexible remote work with high daily pay, or a fake recruiter mirrors a real company's job posting.
Check variant: they 'hire' you fast, send a check for equipment, and have you wire the difference to a 'vendor' before the check bounces.
Task variant: you complete paid micro-tasks with small real payouts until 'VIP tasks' require crypto deposits that grow and vanish.
Reshipping variant: your home becomes a drop for goods bought with stolen cards; you repackage and forward them, doing unpaid criminal logistics.

What does the Job and employment scam sound like?

A typical opening, paraphrased from the scripts reported to fraud agencies. Wording varies, but if your call or text follows this shape, treat it as this scam:

Unknown caller Typical example

Hello! I am Jessica from the HR recruitment team. We found your resume online and think you are a great fit for a flexible remote position paying $300-$600 per day. No experience needed, work 60-90 minutes on your phone. Reply YES if interested. [Or:] Congratulations on your acceptance! We are mailing you a check for $3,450 to purchase your home-office equipment from our approved vendor.

Common variations of this scam

Task platform. Paid micro-tasks (liking videos, 'boosting apps') pay small amounts until higher-tier tasks require deposits that can never be withdrawn.
Equipment check overpayment. A new 'employer' sends a check for equipment and has you wire part of it to a vendor before the check bounces, leaving you liable.
Reshipping mule. A 'logistics coordinator' job has you receive, repackage, and forward parcels that were bought with stolen cards; the last paycheck never comes and the liability is yours.
Mystery shopper. You're paid by check to test a money-transfer or gift-card service, wiring away funds that turn out to be your own when the check fails.
Fake recruiter interview. A chat-only 'interview' impersonating a real company ends in an offer plus a request for your SSN/SIN, banking details, or an onboarding fee.

What are the warning signs?

Unsolicited job offers by text or messaging apps
Interviews conducted entirely over chat, offers within a day
Any check sent to you before employment with instructions to forward part of it
Platforms where you deposit money to unlock higher-paying tasks
Jobs consisting of receiving and reshipping packages

Who do these scammers target?

Active job seekers whose resumes are visible on job boards get personalized versions, while mass texts chase anyone wanting remote or gig work. Students, recent graduates, and newcomers are heavily targeted for reshipping and task scams, and people between jobs are most vulnerable to fake checks because the money is genuinely needed.

Scammers also spoof local numbers to raise answer rates, so a familiar-looking area code means nothing on its own. If a specific code keeps calling you, check its scam activity in the area code directory.

What should you do?

Verify recruiters through the company's official careers page and a call to its main line; real companies confirm their recruiters.
Never deposit-and-forward any check from a new employer; banks make funds available before checks clear, and you owe the full amount when they bounce.
Never pay to work: deposits, unlock fees, and training charges are all scam markers.
Run the recruiter's number through a reverse phone lookup and search the exact job text; mass-sent scripts show up in reports.
US: report to the FTC. Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. If your address received reshipped goods, also tell local police.

Official reporting: FTC: report fraud (US) · Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CA)

How do you protect yourself going forward?

Verify every recruiter through the company's official careers page and switchboard before sharing anything.
Never pay to work and never deposit-and-forward money or packages; legitimate employers do neither.
Give your SSN/SIN and banking details only after a verified offer, ideally through a company payroll portal.
Search the exact text of any offer message; mass-sent scripts are usually already reported word-for-word.

Frequently asked questions

The check cleared and the money showed in my account. How was it fake?

Banks release funds within days by regulation, but a fake check can bounce weeks later. When it does, the bank reverses the deposit and you owe anything you forwarded.

The task site paid me real money at first. Scam?

Yes, that's the design: small real payouts build trust before the deposit-requiring 'VIP tasks'. The moment a work platform asks you to fund your own account, leave.

Is package reshipping from home ever legitimate?

Essentially never as a job for individuals. Real logistics companies use warehouses. Home reshipping roles exist to launder goods bought with stolen cards, and participants can face criminal exposure.

How do I verify a recruiter is really from the company?

Find the job on the company's own careers site, and contact the company through its published channels asking to confirm the recruiter by name. Email domains help too: real recruiters use company domains, not gmail.

Getting calls from a specific area code? Check its scam activity in the area code directory, or go straight to a reverse phone lookup.