RCMP are warning of another online scam, this time involving job ads posted to local buy-and-sell groups.

Police say fraudsters post ads on social media and conduct fake interviews with those who apply.

They offer conditional employment, engage in lengthy exchanges with the people who respond, and end up scamming them out of money in the process.

One person reported being told they got a job, but as a condition of employment they had to forward letters to those who didn’t.

The victim is then contacted by one of the “unsuccessful candidates” and told they are owed money by the company. The scammer then forwards cheques to the victim and asks them to purchase gift cards to send to the person in lieu of the money owed.

By the time the victim is notified that the cheque bounced, and after they’ve purchased and forwarded the gift cards, the scammer has removed all of their contact info from social media.

RCMP are urging people not to accept cheques from a person or business who they cannot verify as legitimate, and never buy gift cards on behalf of someone you don’t know.