New-Hire 'Equipment Overpayment' Scam
A new 'employer' sends a check for your home-office equipment, then asks you to buy from a specific vendor or return the extra — leaving you liable when the check bounces.
Think a message like this reached you? You can check it right now.
What this scam is
After a quick 'hire,' the company mails or deposits a check to cover a home-office setup and instructs you to purchase equipment from their designated vendor (the scammer) or to send back the unused balance. The check is fake and reverses after your bank posts it, so the gift cards, transfer, or purchase you made comes out of your own money. It is the overpayment/fake-check scam wearing an onboarding costume.
What it usually looks like
- A check to fund your 'home-office equipment.'
- Instructions to buy from a specific vendor or return the extra.
- A rushed onboarding and a too-easy hire.
- Payment or refund via gift cards or transfer.
Common warning signs
- Any employer check you must spend and partly return.
- A required 'vendor' chosen by the employer.
- Gift-card or wire steps in onboarding.
- Pressure to act before the check clears.
Example wording scammers use
“Welcome aboard! We've sent $2,400 for your equipment — buy the laptop from our vendor and Zelle back the remaining $900.”
“Deposit the check and purchase your setup today so you can start Monday.”
These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.
What the scammers want
- Real money out before a fake check bounces.
- Gift cards or a transfer.
- A liable new 'employee.'
What to do
- Never accept an employer check to buy equipment or return funds.
- Legitimate employers provide equipment directly.
- Do not send money or buy gift cards for a new job.
- Verify the employer independently.
What to do if you already responded
- Notify your bank immediately.
- Keep the check and all messages.
- Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.