Most online job frauds take your money. This one uses you, and then leaves you holding the consequences.
What the offer looks like
It is usually well presented. A “payment processing agent”, “financial operations assistant”, “regional collections coordinator”. Sometimes a real-looking contract and a company with a website.
The work is simple:
- Money arrives in your bank account
- You keep a commission, typically 5-10%
- You forward the rest — by Zelle or Cash App, to a crypto exchange, or to another account
Or the parcel version: packages arrive at your address, you repack them and post them onward, usually abroad.
What is actually happening
The money version: the funds are proceeds of fraud. Someone was cheated, and their money is being moved through a chain of ordinary accounts to break the trail. Yours is one link. When the victim reports it, investigators follow the money — and the first real name and verified KYC they reach is yours.
The parcel version: the goods were bought with stolen card details. Shipping directly abroad would be blocked, so they go to an address first. That address is you.
Why it is worse than other scams
In a task scam you lose money. Here:
- Your bank account is frozen — often the first thing that happens
- You are named in the complaint, because you are the identifiable person
- You may face charges under federal money laundering statutes (18 U.S.C. § 1956 and § 1957)
- The people who recruited you are unreachable and were never in the US
“I did not know” is a defence you have to make after the freeze, not something that prevents it. And the commission you were paid is evidence you benefited.
How to recognise it
Any of these, on its own:
- Money will pass through your personal account for someone else’s business
- You are paid a percentage of what you move, not for time or output
- You are asked to receive parcels and forward them
- The role requires your bank account before it requires any skill
- Communication is on WhatsApp or Telegram only
- You are told to describe transfers as “gift” or “family support” if the bank asks
A real employer pays money to you. It does not route money through you.
If you have already agreed
Stop now, and do these today:
- Do not move any more money or send any more parcels.
- Tell your bank immediately, in writing. Reporting it yourself is materially different from the bank discovering it.
- File at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and call the FTC. Being the person who reported it matters.
- Keep everything — chats, contracts, the job ad, transaction records, courier receipts.
- Get a lawyer. Not advice from a forum. This is the one online scam where the consequence can be criminal, and it is worth a proper consultation.
The plain version
If a job asks to use your bank account or your address to move something for someone else, there is no version of it that is legitimate. Real businesses have their own accounts and their own logistics. They are paying you because they need a person whose name is not theirs.
This article is general information, not legal advice. If you are already involved, speak to a qualified lawyer.