The "remote job" wanted my bank details before I started

I was hunting for remote work and had résumés scattered across boards, so when a recruiter email arrived with a contract PDF I assumed it was one of those applications paying off. They moved fast—maybe too fast.

Onboarding links looked polished, and then HR asked for full bank details before my first shift "so payroll could preload." I sent the numbers because real employers eventually need direct deposit, right?

Fake job scams harvest account data or run test deposits then pull money out. There was no team chat, no manager on video—only urgent forms and a portal that went offline once the withdrawals started.

I was eager to start and did not want to seem difficult by questioning HR. I told myself delaying paperwork might cost me the offer, even though I had not earned a single hour yet.

When small unauthorised debits appeared and the "company" inbox bounced, I searched the brand with scam and found the same contract header on warning lists. That search result was when I knew the job had only ever been data theft.

I lost money and spent weekends freezing accounts and filing affidavits. The shame of handing bank details to a ghost company stung longer than the dollar amount.

I now verify employers through phone numbers on their real careers site and refuse to share full banking data before a verified first day. I wish I had called the main switchboard before I filled their forms.

• Real employers do not need full bank details before you have started verifiable work.
• Report to the FTC.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.