In its monthly scam alert, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is warning the public to be aware of a scam targeting job-seekers. The scammers send cashier’s checks to individuals who respond to their purported job opportunities. The victims are directed to deposit or cash the checks, keep a portion as payment, and then wire the remaining amount to a designated recipient. The victims are then directed to complete a survey about the service they received.
The problem is the cashier’s checks are counterfeit and victims are left on the hook for the money they wired back to the scammers. More then 250 people have complained to the IC3 about the scam. Most of the victims owed their banks more than $2,500.
The IC3 was established as a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) to serve as a means to receive Internet-related criminal complaints and to further research, develop, and refer the criminal complaints for any investigation they deem to be appropriate.
