11 Work From Home Scams That Target Seniors (Don’t Fall for These)

Older Americans often want to capitalize on the benefits of working from home, but there are numerous scams they should be aware of.

Many times, seniors have accumulated savings or assets, are seen as overly trusting, and may be less tech-savvy. As a result, they can be easy to deceive, and scammers specifically target seniors with fraudulent remote job opportunities. This can be a huge money mistake as you try to save money and stretch your budget in retirement.

If you're not careful, these scammers can gain access to your personal financial information and siphon your money away. Here are 11 common work-from-home scams that directly affect older Americans.

This scam typically involves someone asking you to assist in processing a check for a product or piece of equipment you purchased for a seemingly legitimate job offer.

Once you process the check, you're asked to send the "overpaid" amount back to them. However, the check is fake and bounces, and you're out whatever upfront fees the scammers charged and must repay the entire amount to the bank. 

If anyone starts talking to you about cashing checks or bank transfers right off the bat, it's an indicator of fraud.

These scammers will contact you via phone or email about lucrative data entry jobs you can do from home, if you pay for their software and training. You'll end up giving them your money and personal information, but you'll receive nothing in return.

There are data entry jobs available, but any legitimate company will conduct a thorough interview process and would never ask for money up front.

This scam involves getting an offer to stuff envelopes at home in exchange for a small fee to buy supplies or get started. In return, you'll earn money depending on how many you can stuff.

While this might seem like a serious job at first glance, no company is going to require employees to stuff envelopes at home or ask for an upfront fee.

Smart Drivers, Smarter Savings

Compare car insurance rates in Ohio

See if you qualify for a lower rate in less than 2 minutes

Check Rates

By clicking the button above, I understand and agree that this site uses site visit recording technology (provided by Trusted Form, Jornaya, and Microsoft Clarity) Privacy Policy

In this instance, you may be contacted by a scammer telling you that you've been selected to be an online mystery shopper. All you need to do is send a check or wire money to cover the initial expenses, such as training or purchasing products.

While some of these companies may tout themselves as legitimate LLCs, no mystery shopping company would ever contact you in this manner.

This scam takes the form of an ad or recruiter promising a remote customer service position. At first glance, it might seem like a legitimate opportunity, but they will then ask you to pay for access to software or training portals.

After you pay, you never gain access to the materials, and they continue to request payment. While remote customer service jobs exist, any real company would go through standard channels and a standard interview process to hire you.

This involves someone calling you and asking about your interest in starting a new online business that promises quick financial success. They'll try to sell you on paying for "training" and proprietary software that'll enable you to learn how to get started making money remotely.

While there are legitimate pieces of software that can help you start a remote start-up business, these companies aren't going to contact you in such a manner.

This classic form of business fraud remains alive and well in the modern age. A recruiter typically calls you about a product or program that you can sell to others from home and earn a commission.

The key aspect of a pyramid scheme is that only the initial participants earn any money, usually off the money paid by new recruits; everyone else pays for the service and product, then attempts to sell it to others. Avoid anyone trying to sell you on easy passive income through affiliate sales or similar schemes.

These schemes might seem like legit job offers at first, but they're designed to take your money and personal information. A fake recruiter will contact you unsolicited, offering an easy remote job. Then, they will request your personal information and ask for small verification purchases.

It's best to ignore any unsolicited calls or texts from recruiters. Any legitimate company would not contact you in such a sketchy manner.

In these cases, a fake recruiter will invite you to download an app where you get paid to complete certain tasks, like rating products or videos. Then, the app will ask you to make deposits in order to unlock more content to review.

In reality, you'll never get paid for your work, and instead, you'll be giving away your money to scammers. Not only will you lose your deposit, but you won't see any of the money you've "earned" up to this point. Not to mention you're installing a potentially dangerous app on your phone or computer.

While LinkedIn and other online job boards are legitimate companies, there can still be fake job postings and scams present. These "recruiters" trick job seekers into sharing money or sensitive information, which can then be used for identity theft. 

If you're looking at a remote posting and the company has very few followers or employees, it's best to remain skeptical of their offers. The same applies to any direct messages you receive from purported recruiters on these platforms. Be skeptical if any recruiter lacks a robust digital presence.

A recruiter may offer you a job reviewing products, hotels, or travel experiences. You'll be asked to pay a deposit for your commission, but you will never receive it.

Be wary of anyone posing as a recruiter who claims you can earn an income reviewing these items. If they pressure you to pay upfront to release your wages to you, they're likely lying to you.

Scammers are increasingly targeting seniors seeking remote job opportunities. It's best to prepare yourself financially and emotionally for the possibility that bad actors may attempt to steal your financial information and take your money.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, older Americans lost more than $1.9 billion to scams in 2023 alone. Keep in mind that the majority of fraudulent acts are not reported, so this figure represents only a fraction of fraud. The FTC estimates may be as high as $61.5 billion, and that figure could grow as more of the world gains access to the internet.

Scam artists all over the world will figure out sophisticated ways to con you. So it pays to be vigilant at all times.