Definition[]
In a work-at-home scam, victims fall prey to fraudulent postings for a variety of positions, ranging from personnel managers to secret shoppers. Victims are lured into providing the fraudster with personally identifiable information with promises of above average hourly wages or several hundred dollars per week. Some victims are promised the hardware and/or software equipment needed to perform the job. These sites can be so convincing that victims are oftentimes scammed into cashing checks or money orders that they receive; then redistributing a portion of the funds by way of their personal check, cash, money orders, or wire transfers to a third party.
Source[]
- Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2009 Internet Crime Report.