Hiring picks up in the weeks before the holidays, and plenty of people take extra work to cover bills or gifts. That is the moment fake offers are written for. The FTC says scammers follow seasonal hiring patterns and advertise fake jobs the way honest employers do, with the aim of stealing money and personal information. [FTC alert]
This guide walks through five red flags using invented offers. None of them is a real company or a real message; they are built to show patterns. Each section ends with the check that does not depend on anything the sender gave you, because the sender controls everything inside the offer.
If you would rather work through an offer you have in front of you, the seasonal job offer checklist turns what you have been asked into a list of things to stop on, things still missing and questions to send.
Why seasonal hiring is good cover
Scammers do not need a special channel. The FTC says they advertise jobs through the same places as honest employers: online ads, job sites, social media, newspapers, TV and radio. [FTC guide] The holiday alert adds that they post convincing listings on legitimate employment sites and then run a careful process to draw people in. [FTC alert]
Seasonal work is a natural fit for that. Roles start at short notice, many are remote or part time, and a quick reply is normal during a hiring rush. That is why speed and a friendly tone prove nothing on their own. What the FTC does list as a warning sign is being offered the job quickly, together with requests that make no sense for a genuine hire. [FTC alert]
The common thread in the FTC’s advice is the goal. The point of a fake job is your money and your personal information, not your labour. [FTC guide] Read every step of an offer with one question in mind: what does this step ask me to hand over?
Red flag one: the job is yours before anyone has met you
Several things are missing here. You did not apply, the message names no company, nobody has spoken to you, and the only next step is a reply and a link. The FTC’s guide lists unexpected job offers from strangers by phone, email or text as a red flag, and the holiday alert lists being offered the job quickly. [FTC guide] [FTC alert]
- No employer name you can look up
- No interview or named hiring manager
- A link that arrives before any detail about pay or hours
The check that does not rely on the message: do not reply YES and do not tap the link. If the message names an employer, find that employer yourself and contact it using a phone number or email you already know is legitimate, not one from the posting. [FTC alert] Ask whether the role exists and whether the recruiter works for them. If the message names no employer, that is already your first gap in evidence.
Red flag two: paperwork that asks for too much
Real employers do collect personal details, but the order matters. The FTC lists requests for a driver’s license, Social Security number or bank account number as a red flag when they are made for “employment paperwork” before you have been properly hired, and warns that sharing that data can lead to identity theft. [FTC alert] The guide describes the same pattern as personal information requests framed as payroll setup. [FTC guide]
- Documents requested over a thread you cannot yet trust
- A bank account asked for before any written offer
- Urgency: “before your first shift”
The check that does not rely on the message: hold everything back until you have verified the employer through contact details you found yourself and hold a written offer. Then ask which employer system collects the documents and confirm that channel through the number you found independently. In the worksheet, you tick that documents were requested; you never type the numbers.
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Red flag three: money that moves the wrong way
Two separate patterns hide in this message. The first is paying to get the job. The FTC’s alert puts it plainly: scammers may promise you a job if you pay them, legitimate employers do not charge fees for expenses or training, and anyone who does is a scammer. [FTC alert] The guide adds that victims often pay for starter kits, training or certifications that have no value. [FTC guide]
The second is the check. The FTC lists a check to deposit, followed by a request to send money back or buy gift cards, as a red flag, and it warns never to rely on a “cleared” check. A check can bounce after you have spent the money, and the bank can require you to repay the full amount. [FTC guide] The message above dresses the same trick as an equipment allowance.
Money requests come in a few forms worth recognising:
- A fee for training, a certificate, a starter kit, a background check or the application
- A check to deposit, with part of it to be sent on or spent on items
- Equipment you buy yourself, to be repaid later
- Payment by gift card, wire transfer, money app or cryptocurrency
The check that does not rely on the message: do not deposit the check or send any part of it anywhere. Ask in writing for the employer to supply equipment directly, from an address you have verified yourself, and talk to someone you trust before you do anything with the money.
Red flag four: parcels at your door
This one has no grey area. The FTC describes the reshipping scam in exactly these terms: you receive packages at home, discard the original packaging and receipts, repackage the items and send them on to an address you are given, sometimes overseas. The goods are often bought with stolen credit cards. In the FTC’s words, reshipping goods is never a real job. [FTC guide]
The check that does not rely on the message: there is nothing to verify, because the task itself is the problem. Do not accept, repackage or forward any parcel. If packages have already arrived, do not send them on, and report the job at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The worksheet treats any parcel-handling answer as a stop for this reason.
Red flag five: big pay for small tasks
Work-from-home offers often promise large earnings for minimal effort. The FTC says that when someone promises quick, big money for little work, it is almost certainly a scam. [FTC guide] The invented message adds a second signal: you must add your own money before you can start or withdraw. Paying in order to get the work is paying for a job, which honest employers do not ask for. [FTC alert]
The guide also lists a pattern that tends to appear later: paychecks promised after a month of work that never arrive, disconnected phone numbers and deactivated websites. [FTC guide]
The check that does not rely on the message: ask who the paying company is, how much, how often and under which written terms, and whether you must put any money in first. Do not start tasks until you have that in writing. A vague answer is information too.
Verifying without relying on the offer
Every check below works because it does not pass through the sender.
- Look the employer up yourself. Type its website address or search for it. Do not use a link from the message.
- Contact the company through details you already trust. The FTC advises using a phone number or email you already know is legitimate, not one from the posting. [FTC alert]
- Search the employer and the role with the words “review”, “complaint” and “scam”. [FTC alert] The FTC notes that having no complaints does not guarantee honesty. [FTC guide]
- Find the same role on the employer’s own careers page. A real vacancy normally appears where the employer publishes its jobs.
- Talk to someone you trust before accepting. It also buys you time to think. [FTC alert] [FTC guide]
- For public sector roles, start from official sources. The FTC names USAJobs.gov, CareerOneStop and the USA.gov local government pages, and says ads promising federal or postal jobs for a fee are scams because applying is free. [FTC guide]
- Get the offer in writing: the employer’s name, the pay rate and the hours.
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Keep a record, not a conclusion
When an offer arrives in pieces over several days, it is easy to lose track of what was asked and what you have actually confirmed. The worksheet collects seven things: how the recruiter contacted you, which employer checks you did on your own, how the interview went, whether any payment or equipment purchase was requested, whether parcels are involved, whether identity documents were requested, and what earnings were promised. A notes box holds your own findings.
It gives back three separate lists. The first is the stop-and-verify actions triggered by what you observed, each with the reason and its source. The second is the evidence still missing, kept apart so a gap never gets mistaken for a warning. The third is the questions to send the employer, ready to copy. If two of your answers contradict each other, they are listed to reconcile instead of being quietly resolved.
It does not give a verdict. A tool cannot tell you that an employer is genuine, and the worksheet never claims to. It shows which requests need stopping on and which evidence you still lack. Your answers stay in the browser tab. You can print a verification sheet that fits A4 or Letter paper, save a plain-text copy, or clear everything with one button.
Questions worth sending to any employer
A genuine employer can answer these in writing without difficulty. Send them to the contact details you found yourself, not to the recruiter’s thread.
- What is the company’s full registered name and the address of the office or site where this role is based?
- Where is this role listed on your own careers page, and who is the named hiring manager?
- Can you send a written offer with the job title, pay rate, hours, start date and the employer’s name?
- Will I be an employee or an independent contractor, and how will I be paid?
- Please confirm in writing that I will not be asked to pay anything at any stage, including fees, equipment, deposits or training costs.
- At what stage, and through which employer system, are identity documents and payroll details collected?
- Can we hold a video call or an in-person meeting with the person who would manage this role?
The answers become evidence either way. A clear reply that matches what you found independently moves a gap off your missing list. A dodge, another payment request or pressure to decide today moves the other way.
If you already paid or shared details
Act immediately. Contact the company you used to send the money, report the fraud and ask for a reversal if possible. The FTC says this applies to any payment method: debit or credit card, mobile payment app, wire transfer, gift card, cash reload card or cryptocurrency. [FTC guide]
If you shared personal information, you may face identity theft, and the FTC’s job-scams advice links to its identity theft guidance. [FTC guide] Report the job scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also file a complaint with your state attorney general. [FTC guide]
Whatever the outcome, keep a short note of what you were asked and when. It makes any report clearer, and it is the habit that stops the next offer from working.