Job scams, and how to check a job offer is real

Job scams are advertised the same way real jobs are, online, in newspapers and sometimes on TV and radio. The scammer promises you a job, but what they want is your money and your personal information.

The common fake jobs

• Work from home. The ad promises big earnings for little work. You end up paying for a starter kit, training or a certification that's worth nothing, and your card may be charged without your permission.
• Reshipping. Packages arrive at your home, and you repackage them and send them on, often overseas. The goods were usually bought with stolen credit cards. Reshipping is never a real job.
• Reselling. You pay for discounted luxury goods to resell, and the package never comes or holds junk.
• Nanny, caregiver or virtual assistant. An ad on a job site, or an email that seems to come from someone in your community or school, sends you a check to deposit and asks you to forward some of the money.
• Mystery shopper. You're asked to pay for a certification, a job directory or a job guarantee. Honest mystery shopping companies don't charge for certifications.
• Job placement. The firm promotes openings that don't exist and charges you a fee, often up front. Honest placement firms don't usually charge job candidates.
• Government and postal jobs. It's always free to apply for a federal or postal job, so an ad that charges for one is a scam.

The warning signs

• High pay for little work in a short time
• A charge for the job, the training, a certification or a starter kit
• A check to deposit, with part of the money to send back or spend on gift cardsThe check bounces later, and the bank wants the full amount back from you.
• Packages to receive, repackage and ship on
• A placement fee, especially one paid up front
• A phone number that stops working or a website that disappears after you're hired

Before you take the offer

• Search the company's or person's name with "scam," "review" or "complaint"Finding no complaints doesn't prove a company is honest.
• Describe the offer to someone you trustTalking it over gives you time to think.
• Pay nothing for the promise of a job
• Spend nothing from a check until you know it's realAn honest employer won't send a check and ask you to return part of it or buy gift cards.
• Look for jobs on USAJobs.gov and CareerOneStopFor state and local government openings, start at USA.gov.