# Advance-fee scam

> An advance-fee scam is a fake job that requires you to pay money up front to get hired - for training, equipment, a background check, a starter kit, or an 'onboarding fee.' The promised job does not exist, and the fee you pay is the scammer's entire goal. A real employer never charges you to start work.

Source: https://realjobcheck.com/glossary/advance-fee-scam/  
Updated: 2026-06-02 - Real Job Check Trust and Safety Research Team

---

## What it is

The advance-fee scam inverts how employment works. Instead of the employer paying the worker, the "employer" gets the worker to pay first. The fee is dressed up as something that sounds reasonable for the role - a certification you must buy, equipment from a named vendor, a processing or background-check fee, a deposit "returned in your first paycheck."

## How it reaches you

It usually arrives bundled with other scam signals: a quick offer, [no real interview](/answers/job-offer-without-an-interview/), and pressure to pay today. Some versions add a "you will be reimbursed" promise, where the reimbursement either never comes or arrives as a [fake check](/glossary/fake-check-scam/) that reverses later.

## The tell

Any requirement to pay money to start a job. There are no exceptions - not a small fee, not a refundable deposit, not a reimbursable purchase. Legitimate employers absorb the cost of equipping and training you.

## What to do

Decline, and verify the company independently: find the role on its [official careers page](/answers/is-this-job-offer-a-scam/) and confirm the recruiter's email domain. If you already paid, contact your bank or card issuer at once and follow the [recovery checklist](/answers/i-already-gave-a-scammer-my-information/). For the full walk-through, see [do I have to pay for training or equipment?](/answers/job-asking-to-pay-for-training-or-equipment/)