Work From Home Scam: Fake Remote Jobs, Reshipping, and the Fake Check Trap

Work-from-home scams have grown alongside the genuine rise in remote hiring, using exactly the same absence of a physical office as cover that makes real remote jobs unremarkable today. The result is a scam category that’s gotten harder to distinguish by surface appearance alone — the tell-tale signs have shifted from “no office” to a more specific set of process shortcuts almost every version shares.

The fake job offer

An offer arrives — sometimes after a real application, sometimes completely unsolicited — for a remote role with above-market pay and minimal qualifications required. The hiring process skips a real interview entirely, or replaces it with a text-only “interview” over a messaging app. Contact happens through a personal email address or Telegram, never a company domain or phone system. Before starting, you’re asked to pay for equipment, training materials, or a “background check,” with a promise of reimbursement that never actually arrives.

Reshipping and “package processing” jobs

A specific and financially dangerous variant recruits people for a “package forwarding” or “quality control” job: receive packages at your home, repackage them, and ship them to a new address, sometimes internationally. In reality, these packages are typically purchased with stolen credit cards, and the “employee” is unknowingly laundering stolen goods — sometimes becoming legally implicated in the fraud themselves, even though they were the one deceived into participating.

The fake check trap

A particularly damaging version sends a real-looking check for home-office equipment, a signing bonus, or training materials, and asks the “new hire” to deposit it and wire back a portion to a specified “vendor” or “trainer.” Banks often make a portion of a deposited check’s funds available within a day or two, which can feel like confirmation the check cleared — but full clearing, especially for out-of-state or certain types of checks, can take much longer. When the check eventually bounces, the depositor is responsible for the full amount, including whatever was already wired out, which is real money lost even though the original check was never real.

Warning signs

• No real interview — a text-only or chat-only “interview” process, skipping a live phone or video conversation entirely.
• A recruiter using a personal email (Gmail, Yahoo) instead of a verifiable company domain.
• Any request to pay upfront for equipment, training, or a background check, with a promise of reimbursement.
• A “package forwarding” or reshipping job description, especially one paying well for minimal described work.
• A check for more than expected, with a request to wire back the difference or a portion to someone else.

How to verify a job offer is real

Search the exact wording of the job posting or offer email — scam scripts are frequently reused word-for-word across many fake postings, and a search often surfaces others who’ve flagged the same exact text. Verify the company independently through its official website and LinkedIn page, checking that the person who contacted you actually appears as an employee there — not through any link or contact info the recruiter themselves provided.

Protection tips

• Never pay a fee, for any reason, to get or keep a job — legitimate employers do not charge candidates for equipment, training, or background checks.
• Insist on a live video call, and verify the interviewer’s identity against the company’s actual team page.
• If a check is involved, wait for it to fully clear with your bank — which can take longer than funds simply becoming “available” — before spending or forwarding any portion of it.
• Be extremely cautious of any “package forwarding” or reshipping job — this is one of the more common ways an unwitting victim becomes legally entangled in someone else’s fraud.

The Job Offer Scam Risk Calculator scores a specific offer against exactly these process red flags before you accept or pay anything.

FAQs

Should I ever pay a fee to start a work-from-home job? No — legitimate employers never charge candidates for equipment, training, or background checks. Any such request is a strong scam signal.

Is “package forwarding” or reshipping work legitimate? It’s one of the more commonly reported work-from-home scams, and can carry legal risk for the person doing the reshipping, since the packages are frequently purchased with stolen payment information.

The check I received for equipment already shows as deposited — is it safe to spend? Not necessarily — bank “availability” isn’t the same as a check having fully cleared, which can take over a week for some checks. If it later bounces, you’re responsible for the full amount, including anything already wired onward.

What should I do if I already paid a fee or wired money back for a fake check? Contact your bank immediately to see if anything can be reversed, then report it to reportfraud.ftc.gov.