# Job scams and fake helpers Source: https://www.qaravan.org/resources/work/job-scams/ Scammers look for people who need a job or documents and promise a quick placement or work permit. What they want is your money and personal information. ## Start here - If you already paid, contact the company you sent the money through right away and ask to reverse the payment. - A real employer never asks you to pay to be hired, or sends you a check and asks you to send part back. - Forms from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are free, and a promise of a “rush” work permit signals fraud. ## What the most common schemes look like Scammers advertise where honest employers do: on job sites, on social media, in newspapers, and sometimes on TV and radio. Common schemes and what to do about them | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ## What to check before you accept an offer Steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the federal consumer protection agency. 1. Search for the company name online Look up the name of the company or the person hiring you plus “scam,” “review” or “complaint.” If others were cheated, you will see complaints. No complaints does not prove the company is honest. 2. Tell someone you trust about the offer Describe the offer to someone close and see what they think. It also gives you time to think. 3. Do not pay for the promise of a job Honest employers, including the U.S. government, never ask you to pay to get a job. Anyone who does is a scammer. 4. Never count on a “cleared” check No honest employer will send you a check to deposit and then ask you to send on part of the money or buy gift cards. The check will bounce, and the bank will want the money back. ## If you already paid or gave out your data 1. Contact whoever you paid through at once However you paid, by debit or credit card, payment app, wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency, contact the company you used to send the money right away, report the fraud and ask to reverse the transaction if possible. 2. Report to the FTC File a report at [ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://ReportFraud.ftc.gov), even if you only saw a scam ad and lost no money. You can also report to your state attorney general. 3. If a “helper” with immigration papers cheated you MOIA, the City office for immigrants, points to a free hotline on immigration fraud: [800-566-7636](tel:8005667636) (New York State's New Americans Hotline): say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. It explains how to recognize this kind of fraud and where to turn. 4. If you are forced to work If you are made to work by force, fraud or threats, it may be trafficking. Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: [1-888-373-7888](tel:18883737888), 24 hours a day and confidential. Say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. You can also text 233733, but texts are in English. ## Where to report and where to look safely - Federal Trade Commission (FTC), ReportFraud.ftc.gov Any status Free The federal agency that takes reports of scams. If you see a job scheme or lost money, report online. [reportfraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) - Immigration fraud hotline (MOIA) Any status NYC residents Free A free line named by MOIA (New York State's New Americans Hotline) for people cheated with legal services or who want to learn to spot fraud. Say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins. Both attorneys and non-attorneys commit this fraud. Get immigration legal advice only from a lawyer, a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), or an organization the DOJ recognizes. Forms are free at [www.uscis.gov/forms](https://www.uscis.gov/forms); hand over copies, never original documents. [800-566-7636](tel:8005667636) [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/avoid-immigration-services-fraud.page) - Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), agency licenses NYC residents Free The City agency that licenses employment agencies in New York City. An agency cannot charge you before it places you, or charge for classes, photos or résumé review. Check a license online at [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page](https://nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page) and complain online at [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page](https://nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page) (the form also comes in Russian), without giving your name or status. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/shopping-services-employment-english.page) - Reliable places to look for jobs Any status Free The FTC advises starting with [USAJobs.gov](https://USAJobs.gov), the federal government's official job site, and CareerOneStop, a U.S. Department of Labor site with hundreds of thousands of jobs and links to training programs in each state. New York City also has free Workforce1 centers. [consumer.ftc.gov](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams) ## Glossary: definitions of special terms and abbreviations - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice. [All pages: Work](https://www.qaravan.org/resources/work/) **Sources, checked November 2026** - [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/shopping-services-employment-englis…](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/shopping-services-employment-english.page) - [reportfraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) - [nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/avoid-immigration-serv…](https://www.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/legal-resources/avoid-immigration-services-fraud.page) - [consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams) - [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/check-license.page) - [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page)