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Law enforcement is advising residents to research companies offering online jobs after a Dexter man was scammed by a fake job posting.

According to Mower County Chief Deputy Mark May, a Mower County deputy took a fraud/scam report from a Dexter resident who found a “work from home” job ad on Facebook Marketplace. The victim reported he contacted the company, “Baker McKenzie,” and was provided a job application that required him to provide his social security number and Minnesota driver’s license number.

The victim said he completed and submitted the application and was contacted for an online interview. After the interview process, he was offered a job and told he would have to set up his home office. He was also told that “Baker McKenzie” would pay for his office supplies by sending him a check to cover expenses. He was instructed to use a certain website to purchase supplies.

The victim later received a check for $3,550, but the business listed on the check was “Roller & Associates Inc.” He brought the check to the bank to verify its authenticity and was told the check was fraudulent.

Law enforcement advised the victim to contact the major credit bureaus and to monitor his credit report. It was not reported if the victim had purchased office supplies from the website.

May advised that you should never give out personal information if you have not researched the company or are unsure if the company is legitimate.