Work-From-Home Job Scams and 'Task' Scams: The Red Flags the FTC and FBI Describe
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How we wrote this: A summary of the FTC's "Job Scams" and fake check scam pages and the FBI's public service announcement on work-from-home task scams (linked below), checked October 29, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
A remote job you can do from your home office sounds ideal, which is exactly why scammers advertise them. The FTC says job scammers post ads in the same places honest employers do: online ads, job sites, social media, newspapers, even TV and radio. What they want is your money and your personal information.
The one rule that catches most of them
The FTC is blunt: honest employers, including the federal government, never ask you to pay to get a job. Anyone who does is a scammer. A close second: no real employer sends you a check, has you deposit it, and asks you to send part of the money on. That's a fake check scam.
Common job scams
Work-from-home "easy money." Ads promise thousands a month for little time or effort. Instead you pay for starter kits, "training" or certifications that are useless, or your card is charged without permission. The FTC's rule of thumb: a lot of money in a short time with little work is "almost certainly a scam."
Reshipping. Listed as "quality control manager" or "virtual personal assistant." Once "hired," you receive packages at home, throw away the packaging and receipts, repackage the goods and ship them on, sometimes overseas. The FTC says the goods are often bought with stolen credit cards, and "reshipping goods is never a real job." The promised paycheck often never comes, and if you handed over personal information "for payroll," you may now face identity theft.
Reselling merchandise. A caller or ad says you can buy luxury goods below retail and resell them. You pay; the goods never arrive or are junk.
Nanny, caregiver and virtual assistant offers. Fake ads on job sites, or emails that seem to come from someone in your community or school. The "employer" sends a check, tells you to keep part and send the rest on. The check bounces, the bank wants the full amount back, and the scammer keeps what you sent. See the FTC's fake check scam page.
Mystery shopping. Some jobs are real, but the FTC says honest companies won't charge for certifications, job directories or guarantees.
Placement services that charge you. The FTC notes that honest placement firms don't typically charge job candidates; the hiring company pays them. An upfront fee is a warning sign.
Government and postal jobs. Information about federal and U.S. Postal Service jobs is free, and applying is always free. Use USAJobs.gov for federal jobs and USPS's own careers site; never pay a fee.
"Task" scams: the newer twist
The FBI warns about fake work-from-home jobs built around a simple task, such as scoring restaurants or "optimizing" a service by repeatedly clicking a button. The scammers pose as a legitimate staffing or recruiting agency and often reach you by unsolicited call or message.
The hook is a confusing pay structure: to earn more or "unlock" work, you're told to pay in cryptocurrency, and the money goes straight to the scammer. A fake dashboard shows your earnings growing, but you can never cash out.
The FBI's red flags:
- You're told to make cryptocurrency payments to your employer as part of the job.
- The job description uses the word "optimization" and involves very simple tasks.
- No references are required to be hired.
The FBI also warns: don't pay for services that claim they can recover lost cryptocurrency.
Before you accept an offer
From the FTC's checklist:
- Search the company or person's name with words like "scam," "review" or "complaint." No complaints doesn't guarantee they're honest, but complaints are a tip-off.
- Talk to someone you trust. Describing the offer out loud also buys time to think.
- Don't pay for the promise of a job.
- Never rely on a "cleared" check. A check can seem to clear and still bounce later.
The FBI adds: be cautious with unsolicited job messages, don't click links or open attachments in them, and don't send financial or personal information to someone making an unsolicited offer.
For real openings, the FTC suggests starting with USAJobs.gov, the Labor Department's CareerOneStop, and local government sites.
If you already paid
The FTC says to contact the company you used to send the money immediately, whether it was a card, a payment app, a wire transfer, a gift card or cryptocurrency, report the fraud and ask to reverse the transaction. Its guide What To Do if You Were Scammed covers each method. If you shared your Social Security number or bank details "for payroll," see IdentityTheft.gov and consider a credit freeze.
Report it
- The FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and your state attorney general
- The FBI: IC3.gov, including the transaction details
More on common payment tricks: gift card scams and government impersonation scams. If you're the one hiring, our employee or independent contractor guide covers the real paperwork.