The fake-check job scam: why "deposit this and send some back" always ends with you owing the bank
Mystery-shopper and car-wrap jobs that send you a check, then ask you to deposit it and wire part back, are fake-check scams. The check bounces and you owe every dollar. Here is how it works and how to stay clear.
A fake-check job scam dangles easy money — mystery shopping, car-wrap advertising, a remote assistant role — then sends you a check and asks you to deposit it and forward most of it on. Weeks later the check bounces, the bank reverses the deposit, and the money you forwarded is gone from your own pocket.
How the scam works
It hinges on a gap between when money looks available and when a check actually clears:
- The too-easy job. You’re hired fast, with little or no vetting, for a role that mainly involves handling money.
- The check. The “employer” mails or sends a check — often several thousand dollars — said to cover your pay plus expenses, or sent “by mistake” for too much.
- The send-back. You’re told to deposit it, keep a small cut, and quickly forward the rest — by wire, cash app, or by buying gift cards and sharing the codes.
- The bounce. Days or weeks later the check is found to be fake. The bank takes the deposit back, and you owe every dollar you forwarded, plus possible overdraft fees.
The fact that defeats this scam: “funds available” is not “check cleared”. As the CFPB warns, your bank can reclaim the money even after it let you withdraw it.
How to spot it
The tells are in the box below, but the shortcut is: a job that sends you a check and asks you to send money back = scam, full stop. No real employer makes you its bank.
What to do instead
You don’t need to spend anything to stay safe — the free move comes first (see the defense box). The habit here is Never Pay to Get Paid: a genuine job, prize, or refund never needs money flowing out of you first. The closely related “top up to get paid” version is covered in the task scam. For more, see our defense moves and the 60-second quiz.
- You're "hired" with no real interview and the job involves handling money — depositing a check and forwarding part of it.
- A check arrives before any work, and you're rushed to send funds or buy gift cards while the deposit still looks available.
- You're told to repay or forward money by gift card, wire transfer, or cash app to a stranger.
- Remember the rule: a real employer never sends you a check and then asks you to send money back. If that happens, it's a scam.
- Don't trust "available" funds. A deposited check can bounce weeks later — and the bank can take the money back even after you've withdrawn it.
- Never buy gift cards for an employer or share the codes. No legitimate employer pays or gets reimbursed this way.
- Verify the company independently — look up its real contact details yourself — and move no money until you have.
The trap hides in a banking detail almost nobody knows: 'funds available' is not 'check cleared'. Your bank fronts you the money for a few days out of convenience, then claws it back when the check proves fake — and by then you’ve wired your own cash to a stranger. So I treat any job that hands me money to move as an instant no. Real work pays you; it never asks you to be its bank.
Sources
Frequently asked
The bank let me withdraw the money — doesn't that mean the check cleared?
No. Banks must make deposited funds available quickly, but that is not the same as a check clearing. The CFPB is explicit: the bank can take the money back if the check was fraudulent, even after it made the funds available and you withdrew them. A fake check can be discovered days or weeks later.
Why would a job send me a check first?
Because the check is the bait. The scam depends on you depositing a fake check and forwarding real money back before it bounces. A legitimate employer pays you for work done — it never sends a check and asks for part of it back.
I already deposited it and sent money back. What now?
Contact your bank immediately to report the fraudulent check and discuss your account. Stop all further contact and payments to the "employer", and report it to the FTC and the FBI's IC3. Acting fast can limit the loss, especially on a transfer that hasn't been collected yet.