Safe from Scams: Online jobs to good to be true

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It seemed like the perfect job. Work from home and no heavy lifting. The job turned out to be a trap set by con-men looking to make a quick buck.

"Go on Craigslist, you know, they have jobs always," said Blair Flemings, fraud victim.

Flemings decided to take her friend's advice and look for a job online. She quickly found a personal assistant job that would allow her to work from home. "Processing orders, processing payments, you know, going, going, to the bank, picking up banks, doing money orders."

For her first assignment: deposit a $2,000 check she received in the mail. Then send three money orders to addresses she received by email. "It was all through email and I, I should have known, I should have known," said Flemings.

She became apprehensive and asked to speak to her employer in person. "I have never done business through email or through text message-- especially regarding high value currency," she wrote in a text message to her employer.

"Why would someone trust you that has not seen you ever in their life with $2,000," said Flemings.

She reached out to postal inspectors and her fears were confirmed. The check was counterfeit. The employer's goal to steal Flemings' money. "Make sure that this company is legitimate. Get references from that company. You know, find other individuals that may be working for that company," said Stephanie Houston, US postal inspector

"I was looking for something fast, and fast is not always good-- fast is easy but it's not always good," said Flemings.

Fortunately, Flemings didn't lose any money because she never deposited the counterfeit check. If she had followed the instructions, she would have withdrawn against her account and once the bank realized it was a fake she would be responsible for the money lost.