What to do if you paid a fake job fee
Job-fee scams take an upfront payment and often request more. Stop further payments and report.
Quick answer
Job-fee scams take an upfront payment and often request more. Stop further payments and report.
- Stop any further payments or 'top-ups'
- Contact your bank or payment provider
- Save all messages and receipts
- Cut contact with the 'recruiter'
Do this now
Contact your bank or payment provider about the payment.
Understanding what happened
Paying a fee to 'start' a job - for training, equipment, a background check, or to 'unlock' tasks and withdrawals - is a hallmark of job and task scams. Legitimate employers don't ask you to pay them to begin work, so the fee itself is the clearest sign something was wrong.
Beyond the money lost, these scams often collect ID documents and bank details during 'onboarding', and some recruit people into moving money for others - which can make you an unwitting money mule with serious consequences. Consider what else you handed over, not just the fee.
The steps below help you stop further payments, recover what you can through your bank, protect any documents you shared, and disengage safely - including how to recognise the follow-up 'we can refund you' message that is itself a scam.
First 5 minutes
- Stop any further payments or 'top-ups'
- Contact your bank or payment provider
- Save all messages and receipts
- Cut contact with the 'recruiter'
First 24 hours
- Report the fake employer and listing
- Watch for recovery scams
- Warn others who may be targeted
- Report to your fraud authority
What not to do
- Do not pay anyone who promises to recover your money for an upfront fee
- Do not act on follow-up messages claiming to be the fraud team
- Do not delete evidence before saving it
Evidence to save
- Screenshots of the message and sender details
- Phone numbers, usernames, links, and account or wallet addresses
- Transaction references, receipts, and amounts
How to report
Report through official channels for your area.
Find official reporting links for your country in the reporting directory.
- Do not use phone numbers or links from the suspicious message - look up the official ones yourself.
- Report quickly if money was sent or ID documents were shared; speed improves your options.
- Keep your evidence - see how to save scam evidence.
Beware of recovery scams: no legitimate service guarantees getting your money back for an upfront fee.
This is general safety information, not legal, financial, or cybersecurity incident-response advice.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly should I act?
As soon as possible. Fast action - especially contacting your bank - gives the best chance of limiting harm or stopping a payment.
Will I get my money back?
Sometimes, if you act quickly, but there is no guarantee. Be very cautious of anyone who promises guaranteed recovery for an upfront fee - that is a recovery scam.