Scams going around · Text messages

Job offer text scam

Pretends to be a recruiter for a company you might know. An unexpected text offers you an easy job you can do from home, such as giving good ratings or "liking" things online. It asks you to reply "YES." The job is fake. Sooner or later you're told to deposit your own money, often in cryptocurrency (a kind of digital money). Or you're asked to send back part of a check that turns out to be fake.

An example of what it can look like

Not a real message: the details are made up.

(202) 555-0187

Hi, I'm Amy, a recruiter with a well-known online store. We're hiring for a remote online assessor position. Work from home 1 to 2 hours a day, with daily pay. No experience needed. Reply YES if you're interested.

How to tell

• A general, unexpected message about a job arrives by text, WhatsApp or Telegram (apps for sending messages). Real employers will never contact you that way.
• It mentions pay, sometimes a daily or weekly rate, but gives no real details about the job. It asks you to reply "YES" or "INTERESTED."
• The "work" is giving good ratings or reviews, or "liking" things online, sometimes called "optimization" or "product boosting."
• An app shows your earnings growing, and you may get a small payment at first. Then you're told to deposit your own money, often in cryptocurrency (digital money), to unlock more tasks or get your earnings out.
• They send you a check and ask you to send part of the money back or on to someone else.

What to do

• Don't reply, not even with "YES," and don't tap any link in the message.
• Never pay to get a job or to get paid. Honest employers won't ask you to.
• Turn down any offer to pay you to give a good rating or "like" things online. No honest company will do that.
• Never send money from a check that came from someone you don't know.
• Talk it over with someone you trust. Then block the number and delete the message.

If you already tapped, paid, called or replied

1. If you paid with a card or a bank transfer, contact your bank or card company right away. Tell them it was fraud and ask them to reverse the payment.
2. If you used a payment app, a wire transfer service or a gift card, contact that company right away. Tell them a scammer tricked you and ask for your money back.
3. If you paid with cryptocurrency (digital money), contact the exchange (the business where you bought it) right away. If you used a cryptocurrency ATM, contact the company that runs it. Tell them it was fraud and ask them to reverse it.
4. If you deposited a check from them, don't send any money from it, and call your bank. A fake check will bounce, and the bank will want you to repay the amount.
5. If you gave them your Social Security number and they used it, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. Then follow the recovery plan it gives you. If they didn't use it, or you aren't sure, go to IdentityTheft.gov/databreach and follow the steps there.

How to check for real

Look up the company yourself and contact it through its own website or a phone number you find, not anything in the message. You can also search the company's name with the words "scam," "review" or "complaint" to see if others have reported problems.

Where to report it

• ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the Federal Trade Commission's reporting site
• Your state attorney general's office

Free guides that go with this

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Where this comes from

Written from these official warnings, checked 2026-09-25. Lantern is not part of any organization named on this page.

• FTC: That job offer text is probably a scam
• FTC: How to spot and avoid task scams
• FTC: Job Scams
• FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed