Fraudulent Bonus Checks For Non-Existent Jobs
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has learned that some individuals and banks
are being victimized by a scheme involving online job applications. The individuals have applied for and accepted jobs
through an online job search service advertising "signing bonuses" of approximately $2,500 to new hires. Each
prospective employee has received a check ranging from $19,000 to $50,000 by mail from the prospective employer
with instructions to deposit the check, preferably at an ATM. The recipient is further instructed to keep $2,000 to
$4,000, depending upon the amount of the signing bonus, and return the balance of the money by wire to a location
in Europe. The checks are fraudulent; therefore, the depositor is ultimately responsible for any amounts charged
back to his or her account by the bank resulting from the dishonor of the checks. In some cases, banks have
suffered losses when a customer has been unable to cover the overdrafts resulting from the dishonor and return of
the fraudulent checks. Read more...
