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Asked to pay before you start a job? Signs of a fake job offer

Updated October 22, 2026 · Example messages are made up.

You find a job ad, the interview goes well (or there isn't one), and then comes the request: a fee for training, a kit to buy, a background check to pay for. Legitimate employers cover the cost of hiring you. When the money flows from you to them, it is a red flag.

The basic rule

Someone hiring you pays you. Not the other way around. Any request for money before you start, or as a condition of getting the job, should make you stop and check. Most fake job offers built on upfront payments fall into a handful of recurring patterns.

The most common forms

Paid “mandatory” training

You are told the job is yours, but first you need to complete a course or certification, available only from a partner they recommend and paid in advance. After the payment the course is vague or never arrives, and the job disappears.

Congratulations, you've been selected for the Customer Support role! Before onboarding, all new hires complete our certification course ($149, refunded with your first paycheck). Please pay via the link today to secure your start date.

Starter kits and equipment

Work-from-home roles where you must buy a laptop, software or a “starter kit” from a specific supplier. Sometimes they send you a check to cover it: you deposit it, pay the supplier, and days later the check bounces. The money you sent is gone, and your bank may hold you responsible for the bounced amount. A related scheme uses your account to pass on other people's money: see jobs that pay you to move money or reship packages.

Paid background checks and admin fees

“Admin fees”, a paid background check or drug test, a “uniform deposit”, a fee to “reserve your place”. The amounts are often small, $30 to $90 or £25 to £75, so you will not think twice. Then come more charges, each with a new excuse.

Jobs abroad or with relocation

Offers in another country that require you to pay upfront for a visa, accommodation or travel arranged by the “company”. Besides the money, you risk handing over passport and personal details.

What legitimate employers actually do

Real hiring has a recognizable shape. You apply, you talk to someone whose name and role you can check, you receive a written offer, and only then do you deal with onboarding paperwork. If a background check, drug test or uniform is required, a genuine employer normally arranges it and covers it, or at least tells you about it in writing before you accept. You are never asked to send money to a recruiter's personal account, buy gift cards, or pay in crypto. When in doubt, a quick call to the company's main switchboard usually settles it.

Warning signs in the ad

• Pay well above the market for a role with no experience required.
• Vague job description: no clear duties, no team, no location.
• Contact only by chat (WhatsApp, Telegram) or through a free email address.
• An instant hire without a real interview or after a brief chat conversation.
• Mentions of fees, deposits or purchases, even when described as “refundable”.
• Unusual payment methods: gift cards, crypto, wire transfers to individuals, payment apps.
• Pressure on time: “only 2 spots left”, “pay by tonight to keep your place”.

Hi Sarah, your application was approved! To complete onboarding we just need £45 for the DBS check and a £60 equipment deposit. Payment by bank transfer to our HR officer. Spots are limited, please confirm by 6 pm.

How to verify an offer

1. Find the company yourself and contact it through its official website or phone number, not the details in the ad.
2. Ask for a written offer with the company's full legal name, address and registration details, and check them (in the UK, on Companies House; in the US, on your state's business registry).
3. Ask why you have to pay and who receives the money. Legitimate costs that you may genuinely bear yourself are never sent to a recruiter's personal account.
4. Never deposit a check from a new employer and send part of it back or to a supplier.
5. Search the company name with words like “scam” or “reviews”, and read other candidates' experiences.

If you already paid

1. Do not pay anything else, whatever reason they give you.
2. Call your bank or card issuer right away and ask whether the payment can be stopped, recalled or disputed.
3. Collect the evidence: the ad (with screenshots and link), chats, emails, receipts.
4. Report it. In the US, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov if the scam happened online or involved crypto. In the UK, report it to Report Fraud, the national service that replaced Action Fraud, at reportfraud.police.uk (England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101).
5. Report the ad to the job site where you found it, so it does not catch other people.