Advance-Fee Job Scam

Advance-fee job scams are one of the oldest employment frauds. The perpetrator places a convincing job posting or contacts a victim directly, conducts a superficial interview, and then issues a conditional offer letter requiring payment before the start date. Common pretexts include background-check fees, mandatory training course fees, work-permit processing charges, or uniforms and starter kits.

Once the fee is paid the employer becomes unreachable, or continues extracting further payments under new pretexts. The victim never starts work and the 'employer' cannot be traced at a legitimate address. Losses range from tens to thousands of dollars depending on the claimed role's seniority.

Variants target vulnerable job-seekers: migrants offered visa-sponsored roles, new graduates seeking their first position, or workers seeking offshore placements. The fee is typically requested via wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency to prevent chargebacks.