Have you recently been applying for a new job and found the perfect opportunity? They promised you a lot of money with little to no work? Maybe all you must do is advertise on your car, become a mystery shopper, or work as a personal assistant from home. They even offer to send you a check to purchase office equipment to get started. Perhaps they offer to deposit the check for you, they only need your online banking info.

Many scammers pretend to be legitimate employers on legitimate job search platforms. You may even receive emails from your community or from organizations such as your college or university, offering these lucrative positions. Use caution! What they really want is your personal and banking information. Scammers may send a check and request you send some of the funds to someone else or purchase gift cards for them. By the time the check returns, they already have your money, and you are liable for the loss caused by the bad check deposit. They could potentially even use your personal identifying information to open unauthorized accounts on your behalf.  

These types of scams are constantly evolving but there are ways to protect yourself. Do your research on any company before giving your personal identifying information. Remember, a legitimate employer would never ask you to use your own bank account or funds to get a job. Protect your banking information. You should never give out your personal log ins or passwords and use extreme caution before giving any employer your auto deposit account numbers. 

The aged old saying “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” rings true! If you suspect that you have been involved in this type of scam, or want to learn more, please visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website, and, as always, the OBCU Fraud team is here to help!


Trust that O Bee is working behind the scenes to keep your sensitive information safe. Learn more about how O Bee protects your accounts and information and what you can do to protect yourself.