Verify an opportunity through an employer channel you locate independently. Treat requests to pay for a job, move money, or deposit a check and send funds onward as reasons to stop. Keep records of suspicious contact and use official reporting guidance if you encounter a scam or have already shared information.
Verify the organization outside the message
Find the employer’s official website yourself rather than relying only on a link in an unsolicited message. Look for the opening on its careers page and compare the title, location, and application method. If a recruiter claims to represent the company, use an independently located contact to confirm the relationship when uncertainty remains.
Check the full email address and web domain, but do not treat a professional-looking logo or familiar company name as proof. Keep a note of how the person contacted you and what they requested. A legitimate-sounding conversation is still something to verify before sending documents through an unfamiliar channel.
Look closely at the requested action
The FTC warns that honest employers do not ask you to pay to get a job and that fake-check schemes can appear in hiring. Stop if someone sends a check and instructs you to buy equipment, return an overpayment, or forward money. Do not let an urgent start date replace independent verification.
Michigan’s employment-scam guidance also addresses deceptive work-from-home offers. Be cautious when the work is vague, earnings claims are extreme, or the sender pushes you to act before answering ordinary questions. Ask what the duties are, who employs you, and how the hiring process works. An unexplained request for money is not a detail to overlook.
Use a verification pause as a normal step
Create a personal rule: unfamiliar job contacts wait until you verify the opening and the contact method. Share only information appropriate to the current step through a verified process. Do not send financial details or identity documents just because a chat participant says they are needed immediately for an interview.
If you suspect a scam, save the messages and follow the FTC’s current reporting and recovery instructions. If money or sensitive information was shared, act promptly using the official guidance relevant to what happened. Continue your search through verified employer channels, and record the suspicious posting so you do not engage with the same approach again.
Your next-step checklist
- Find the employer independently.
- Verify the role and recruiter.
- Stop requests to pay or move money.
- Save records and follow official guidance.
Questions people ask
Does a known company name prove the offer is real?
No. A sender can impersonate a real organization. Confirm the opening and contact using information you locate independently.
What if I already deposited a check?
Do not send money onward. Use the FTC’s current recovery guidance and contact the relevant financial institution promptly about the suspected fraud.
Sources & useful resources
- Federal Trade Commission: Job scams ↗
- Michigan Attorney General: Work from home and employment scams ↗
Sources checked for this October 17, 2026 edition. This guide combines linked public resources with practical editorial recommendations. Job listings, programs and event details can change.
Published by JobFairGiant.com, which promotes its own hiring events and MichiganHired.com job-posting services. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy.
