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Are emailed checks for jobs usually a scam?

USPublished 6 October 2026 · Written by BuyMeWhiskey Editorial Team · How we check facts

An emailed image or PDF of a check from a supposed employer is a classic fake-check warning sign, especially when you are told to deposit it, buy equipment, send money back or convert part of it to cryptocurrency.

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Do not deposit or spend the check; verify the job independently and report the suspected scam to the FTC and the platform where it began.

Read the FTC fake-check scam guidance

Why the scam can look real

A fake check can appear in an email, PDF or message and may carry convincing logos, names and signatures. Scammers often create urgency: you are hired immediately, the “employer” sends money for equipment, or you must buy gift cards or send cryptocurrency. The trap is that banks can make funds appear available before the payment is finally rejected. A temporary balance increase is therefore not evidence that the check was genuine.

The usual sequence

A common pattern is: remote job offer; check arrives; victim deposits it; scammer instructs the victim to send some of the money to a vendor, courier or another account. The original check is later returned or reversed, leaving the victim responsible for the amount already spent. Variations include product-testing jobs, mystery-shopping roles and cashier’s checks mailed from another state. The underlying question is always the same: why does a supposed employer need you to move money on its behalf?

Why “cashier’s check” does not make it safe

A cashier’s check can be a legitimate banking instrument, but that does not mean an unexpected check is legitimate. Fraudsters can forge documents or use compromised accounts. Treat an unsolicited check as suspicious when it is unrelated to a transaction you independently verified. Never rely on the sender’s telephone number or email address alone. Find the company’s official contact details yourself and ask whether the payment and job are genuine.

Requests to make checks payable to Cash

A merchant or legitimate payee may sometimes explain why it wants a particular payee, but a request to make a check payable to “Cash” deserves caution because anyone possessing the check can generally attempt to negotiate it. Use the exact payee named in a genuine invoice or transaction. Never hand over a signed blank check. If a person says this is necessary for a remote job or to release a payment, stop and verify the transaction.

What to do when you already deposited it

Do not spend the money or send any part of it. Contact your bank’s fraud department and tell them exactly what happened. Preserve the email, PDF, account details, phone numbers and messages. Contact the real company through a independently sourced address or phone number. The FTC says fake-check scams can leave victims owing the bank when the check is found to be counterfeit. Early disclosure improves the chance that the bank can help limit the damage.

Why crypto makes the warning stronger

Cryptocurrency transfers can be difficult or impossible to reverse. A fake-check scam that ends with “buy Bitcoin and send it to our supplier” combines two high-risk features: counterfeit payment and irreversible value transfer. Legitimate employers do not need a new worker to use a personal bank account to turn a dubious check into cryptocurrency. Treat such a request as a strong stop signal.

The payment request is the warning sign

A purported employer who sends a cheque, asks you to deposit it and then tells you to forward part of the money is using a classic fake-check pattern. The cheque may appear in an account before the bank has finally established that it is genuine. That temporary availability does not turn a counterfeit payment into earned wages.

Modern versions can arrive as a PDF or an electronic image rather than a paper cheque. The story may involve buying equipment, testing a product, paying a “supplier” or returning an overpayment. The FTC’s current job-scam guidance says honest employers do not require applicants to pay money to get work, and its fake-check guidance warns against sending money onward from a check supplied by a stranger.

Keep the employer search independent: find the company’s real contact details yourself, verify the vacancy through a genuine corporate channel, and never use your personal account as a pass-through for someone you met only online. A request for cryptocurrency or gift cards is an especially strong reason to stop the transaction.

Worked example

Illustrative example: Maya applies for a product-testing job and receives a PDF check for $2,400. The “employer” tells her to deposit it, keep $300 as pay and send $2,100 to a supplier through cryptocurrency.

Illustrative check: $2,400.
Illustrative amount Maya is asked to keep: $300.
Illustrative amount requested for forwarding: $2,100.
$2,400 − $300 = $2,100.

If the check is fraudulent and the $2,400 credit is later reversed, Maya may still have sent the $2,100 and spent the $300. The “profit” was never real. She should not make the transfer simply because the deposit initially shows as available.

This worked example uses invented values to demonstrate the mechanics of the emailed employment cheque. The figures in this example are not a quote for the emailed employment cheque; rebuild them from the actual document, account or asset involved.

Can an employer email me a check to deposit?#

It can happen in rare legitimate transactions, but an unsolicited check tied to a job, equipment purchase or product test is a major fraud warning sign. A legitimate employer normally does not need a new worker to move money through a personal account.

Why did my bank show the check as available?#

Banks may make deposited funds available before the payment is finally verified. That timing can make a counterfeit check appear real. “Available” is not the same as “final and irrevocable.” Do not spend or forward the money while the transaction is unresolved.

Is an unexpected cashier’s check always a scam?#

No, but an unexpected cashier’s check should be independently verified before you use it. Be especially cautious when you did not buy anything, sell anything or expect a payment, and when the sender wants you to send part of the money elsewhere.

Should I deposit a PDF check from a product-testing job?#

Do not do so until the job is independently verified. FTC guidance specifically warns about fake-check schemes that use supposed jobs and ask victims to buy products or send money after depositing a fake payment. Before acting on the emailed employment cheque, use the source that governs that particular transaction or decision. Keep the supporting records.

What if the check is made out to Cash?#

Treat that as a reason to slow down, particularly when the request is unexpected. A blank or cash-payee check creates avoidable risk. Confirm the real transaction and payee before signing or handing over any check. Before acting on the emailed employment cheque, use the source that governs that particular transaction or decision. Keep the supporting records.

What if I already sent the scammer money?#

Contact your bank and the payment provider immediately, explain the fraud, preserve all evidence and report it. The sooner you act, the more opportunity there may be to stop or recover a transfer. Before acting on the emailed employment cheque, use the source that governs that particular transaction or decision. Keep the supporting records.

Where should I report a fake job-check scam?#

The FTC accepts reports of scams, and you should also report the account or listing to the job platform. If a bank account or payment method is involved, tell your financial institution’s fraud team promptly. Before acting on the emailed employment cheque, use the source that governs that particular transaction or decision. Keep the supporting records.

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Sources

Figures were checked against these sources before publication. If a rule changes, we update the page and show the new date.

General information, not personal financial advice. Rules depend on your circumstances; check the official source or speak to a regulated adviser before acting.