A “hiring manager” offers remote work, sends a paycheck, stipend, or equipment check, and tells you to deposit it. After the bank shows the money as available, they ask you to wire, Zelle, Venmo, gift-card, or crypto a portion back for taxes, software licenses, a supplier, or “training materials.” The deposit later reverses. The money you sent is gone, and you may owe Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Ally, Capital One, or your credit union for the hole.
This is the deposit-then-wire-back cousin of fake job and check-cashing scams and overpayment check scams. Broader payment and identity pitches: Credit and debt scams.
How the deposit-then-wire script works
| Step | What they say | What actually happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “You’re hired - here’s your first check / direct deposit” | Fake or stolen instrument, or a temporary credit that will reverse |
| 2 | App shows funds in 1–2 days | Credit is often provisional; banks can claw it back days or weeks later |
| 3 | “Wire $1,800 to our vendor / send gift cards for software” | Irreversible send to the scammer (Gift cards and prepaid risks; Zelle and P2P scams) |
| 4 | Check returns unpaid | Bank reverses the deposit; your balance goes negative |
Real employers pay you after work, withhold taxes through payroll, and buy equipment on company accounts. They do not need you to act as their cashier.
Hard rules
- Do not wire, P2P, crypto-send, or buy gift cards with money that arrived from a new “employer.”
- Available balance ≠ final funds. Ask the bank’s fraud line (number on your card or bank site, not the email) how long that check type can still reverse.
- Freemail “HR,” WhatsApp-only hiring, and LinkedIn DMs that skip a real career page are tells.
- Demands to “pay your own taxes up front by wire” are fraud - payroll taxes are not handled that way for W-2 jobs.
Phishing that steals bank logins can run beside these pitches: Phishing and account takeover.
Worked example: the $4,200 “onboarding” deposit
Jordan gets a text for a remote bookkeeping role. “HR” emails a $4,200 official-looking check and says Jordan’s start date is Monday. Jordan must keep $1,000 as the first stipend and wire $3,200 to a “QuickBooks reseller” for licenses.
Jordan deposits at Bank of America. Funds show available in two business days. Jordan wires $3,200. Ten days later the check is returned unpaid. BofA reverses $4,200. The wire is gone. Jordan owes the bank until the account is restored.
If Jordan had refused any job that requires sending money, or asked BofA’s official fraud line about cashier’s-check reversal windows before spending a dollar, the loss would not happen.
What to put in writing if you already deposited
- Call the bank/credit union fraud number from the card or official site the same day.
- Report the deposit as suspected fraud; ask whether provisional credit can still reverse and whether a stop can apply to related outgoing wires.
- Do not send a second payment to “unlock” or “recover” funds - that is a follow-on scam.
- Save emails, envelopes, wire receipts, and chat logs; file at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- If you shared SSN or ID images, consider a credit freeze and monitor accounts.
Checklist
- No legitimate job requires you to deposit a check and wire part of it back.
- Treat early “cleared” deposits as provisional until the bank confirms finality in writing.
- Verify the employer on its official site and switchboard - not via the recruiter’s link alone.
- Refuse gift cards, crypto, wires, and P2P as onboarding costs.
- Report attempts even when you caught them early; patterns help others.
Local ad “equipment stipend” wires overlap marketplace cons: Fake Craigslist wire scams.
Upfront “pay for your background check / badge” fees are a different fake-employer script: Fake job background-check fee scams.
LinkedIn InMails that demand gift cards, onboarding fees, or remote-access installs: Fake LinkedIn job offer scams.
Fake DoorDash dasher onboarding / Instant Pay unlock fees and MFA theft: Fake DoorDash dasher pay scams.
Fake Craigslist job posts that push check-cashing or equipment-fee wires: Fake Craigslist job scams.
Educational only. Not legal, banking, or fraud-recovery advice. Scam tactics and bank hold policies change; verify employers and payment instructions through official sources.