J-1 Summer Work and Travel Job Offer Scams: Red Flags and Who to Call

Scammers copy the look of a Work and Travel offer: a good wage, housing, a quick yes and a fee. The real program works the other way round, with a designated sponsor and a vetted employer. This page shows the red flags, how to check an offer, and who to contact. The apply hub has the full application path.

The short version

1. Never pay anyone to get a job; honest employers will not ask.
2. Check the sponsor on the State Department list of designated sponsors.
3. Look for the job opening on the employer’s own website.
4. Do not start a job until your sponsor has vetted it.
5. Call the J-1 Visa Emergency Hotline if you face abuse or exploitation.

How fake job offers work

Scammers advertise jobs online in ads, on job sites and on social media (FTC consumer alert, July 2024). A common pattern uses the names of well-known employers to post openings that do not exist (FTC consumer alert, June 2022). The aim is to trick you into sending personal information or money upfront to get the job.

Fake checks are a common version. They send a check, tell you to keep part of it as a salary advance and send the rest back, supposedly for equipment. Honest employers will never send a check and tell you to send part of the money back. Never deposit a check from someone you do not know.

USCIS adds a warning for students abroad. A suspicious job offer by email before you leave your country may be a scam, especially if you are asked to pay money to receive the offer. If a job offer is on social media, make sure the company is legitimate before you share personal information.

Red flags in a Work and Travel offer

• Anyone asks you to pay to get a job. Honest employers will never ask you to pay for one.
• The offer arrives without a sponsor. Foreign nationals must be sponsored by a State Department-designated sponsor to take part.
• Anyone who describes paying a US employer to take you. Sponsors and third parties may not pay or give any incentive to employers to accept participants.
• A “guaranteed” fast visa for a fee. Some businesses “guarantee” that you can get a visa, Green Card or work permit faster if you pay a fee.
• A job that the program bars. Sales jobs where you buy inventory to resell are barred, as are substantially commission-based jobs that do not guarantee minimum wage and jobs in the adult entertainment industry.
• Work hours that fall mostly between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am.
• Domestic help in a private home, such as child care or a chauffeur.
• A job you are told to start before your sponsor has checked it. Participants may not start a job until the sponsor has verified and vetted it.

Positive online reviews can also be fake, because they may have come from made-up profiles.

How to confirm the sponsor and the job

Start with the sponsor. The State Department list of designated sponsors is the check: foreign nationals must be sponsored by a State Department-designated sponsor. The list is organized by program, with their addresses. Many sponsors can place participants anywhere in the US regardless of where they are based. Designated sponsors are the ones authorized to issue your DS-2019. The sponsors page explains how to compare them.

Then check the employer. Visit the employer’s own website and look for the opening there. Search the company’s name with the words “scam,” “review” or “complaint”. Take time to talk to someone you trust about the offer before you act. A federal government email address always ends in .gov.

The sponsor has checks of its own. Sponsors must confirm each job and fully vet the employer before you start work. They use public information to confirm that job offers come from viable business entities. A job found after arrival must be vetted within 72 hours. The job vetting page covers that step.

Overseas agents are checked as well. Sponsors must review an agent’s business licence and registration and criminal background reports for owners and officers. Agents must give price lists that itemize all costs charged to participants.

What to look for in the job terms

When an employer provides housing or transport, the job offer must state the cost and whether it is deducted from your wages. Participants must be paid at least the higher of the federal, state or local minimum wage. Sponsors must tell you the minimum wage requirements.

A federal rights pamphlet for temporary workers adds that an employer usually cannot make you pay for uniforms, safety equipment, required tools or recruitment fees. Do not sign a contract you do not understand. No one should keep your passport, visa or other ID documents. The workplace rights page covers pay problems.

When a scam turns into exploitation

Some offers are not just fraud. Human trafficking uses force, fraud or coercion to compel labor. Warning signs include false promises about the type of work, hours, conditions or pay. Another is being told you have no rights, or will be deported if you ask for help. A third is added fees for transport, housing or food that you did not agree to.

The program itself calls for extra caution with employers in lines of business often tied to trafficking, such as modeling agencies, housekeeping and janitorial services. You do not have to stay in a job where the employer mistreats you. The laws and your rights page explains more of your protections.

Who to contact

Your sponsor must give you the State Department help line number and its own 24/7 contact number before you leave home. Sponsors must also keep monthly contact with you, and no sponsor may retaliate against you for making a complaint. Report to the FTC or your state consumer protection office if you are targeted by an immigration scam. A report of immigration fraud does not negatively affect your application. IC3 will never contact you directly for information or money.

If you already paid

Call the company you used to pay at once, such as the gift card or money transfer company, and ask them to reverse the charge. Report the scam to the FTC. USCIS does not accept Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Venmo or gift cards as payment for immigration fees, and it will never ask you to pay a person by phone or email. A request for those payment methods is a warning sign.