Scams Aimed at Young Adults

The story: Jade’s busy inbox

Jade, hunting for a job and an apartment, reads messages on a phone and spots the warning signs in two scam messages.

1. Narrator: Jade is looking for a job and an apartment at the same time. The messages pile up.
2. Narrator: A “job” offer: deposit this check, keep $200, and send the rest back in gift cards today.
3. Jade: They’re rushing me, and they want gift cards. That’s two tells already.
4. Narrator: Fake checks bounce days later, after the money sent back is gone. The bank takes the check amount back from Jade.
5. Narrator: Next, an online friend Jade has never met brings up an investing app with big, sure returns.
6. Jade: Someone I’ve never met, pushing me to invest and keep it quiet. That’s an investment romance scam.
7. Narrator: Jade checks the job by calling a number Jade looked up, not one from the message. It isn’t real.
8. Narrator: Rushed, told to keep quiet, or asked to pay a strange way? Stop and check.

What you’ll learn

1. Fake jobs and fake checks

   Scam jobs often hire fast, pay by check and ask you to send part of it back by gift card, payment app or wire. The check bounces days later, and the bank takes the money back from you. A real job never asks you to pay to work.

2. Fake rentals and fake loan relief

   Fake rental listings ask for money before you’ve seen the place. Never pay for a rental before you’ve verified it. Fake student loan relief charges fees to lower payments. Never pay to apply for forgiveness; real help from your loan servicer is free.

3. Investment romance scams

   Someone you met online, often very friendly, slowly brings up an investing app or crypto “opportunity” with big, sure returns. Early gains on the screen look real, but the money can’t come out. Anyone you haven’t met who pushes investing is a red flag.

4. Impostors and the three tells

   Scammers pose as your bank, the IRS, a delivery company or family. The tells: rushing you, asking for secrecy, and asking for payment by gift card, crypto, wire or payment app. Verify by calling a number you look up yourself.

Key words

impersonation scam

a scammer pretending to be a company, agency or person you trust

Also called: impostor scam

fake check scam

a check that bounces after you’ve sent part of it back

investment romance scam

an online “friend” or match who builds trust, then pushes a fake investment

red flag

a warning sign that something may be a scam

Common questions

I already sent money. What now?

Contact the bank, card company or payment app right away and ask them to stop or reverse it. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Scams happen to careful people too; there’s no shame in reporting.

How can I tell a real job offer?

Real employers interview you, never charge you to start and never ask you to send money back. Looking up the company yourself and calling its main number is a solid check.

Remember this

Rushed, told to keep quiet, or asked to pay a strange way? Stop and check.

Try it: Save your bank’s real number

1. Find your bank’s number on your card or its official website.
2. Save it in your contacts, so checking a call is quick.
3. If a scam reaches you, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

The whole mission; no account or app needed.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• Report a scam

  Source: ReportFraud.ftc.gov(opens in a new tab)

• The most reported scam types this year (Consumer Sentinel)

  Source: FTC(opens in a new tab)