Someone on Instagram, Facebook or Messenger offers me a commission to receive payments and send them on. What if money has already arrived?

Prepare a private timeline: first contact, promised role, instructions, amounts, dates, transaction references and what you actually sent. Save original messages and profile links. Share relevant records through verified official channels, not public posts or people offering recovery for a fee.

1. Stop new transfers, withdrawals and conversions for the contact. Do not spend remaining funds, take your “commission” or make a separate refund to an account they nominate. Do not open another account or recruit a friend. End communication; save existing evidence without negotiating or accepting a final “cleanup” transfer.
2. Contact the bank or payment service promptly using its official app, a known statement or an independently checked website. Explain the receive-and-forward arrangement, identify incoming and outgoing transactions and say whether you shared account access. Ask what can be stopped, how remaining funds should be handled and what protection they recommend. Follow verified instructions rather than moving funds yourself. Ask for a case reference; completed transfers may not be reversible.
3. Preserve messages, the job advert, profile links, payment records and instructions, then contact the appropriate police or fraud-reporting authority where you are. In the United States, the FBI directs money-mule scam reports to ic3.gov. A platform report is separate from notifying the bank and law enforcement. Get qualified local legal advice, particularly if funds already passed through your account. If the recruiter threatens immediate harm, seek local emergency help.