Part-time jobs that ask you to use your own card to receive payments, withdraw cash, or transfer money — no matter how much extra pay they offer, avoid them

5. Part-time jobs that ask you to use your own card to receive payments, withdraw cash, or transfer money — no matter how much extra pay they offer, avoid them

Cost: There is no direct monetary cost, but you should steer clear of any “pay-per-day” gigs that require you to bring a bank card to a bank branch.

In plain terms: These part-time jobs promise only a few hundred dollars in earnings, yet they can leave you with a criminal record. One person brought his ID and a single bank card to a designated location, helped with transfers and withdrawals, and earned just over $500. Even though prosecutors did not file charges, police still detained him for 10 days and fined him $1,000. Another individual handed over his own and others’ bank cards plus SIM cards to a criminal group for cash handling; he was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison and fined $22,000.

Benefit: Anyone who knowingly helps move, buy, sell, or otherwise conceal money or property obtained through illegal activity can face up to three years in prison, a fine, or both. Official case example: Wang was instructed to bring his ID and a bank card to a specific spot, where he assisted with transfers and withdrawals, earning a little over $500. No prosecution followed, but police detained him for 10 days under anti‑telecom‑fraud laws and imposed a $1,000 fine. Man was also convicted of providing his own and others’ bank cards and SIM cards for criminal cash handling; he received a 2‑year‑3‑month sentence plus a $22,000 fine (nationwide).

Evidence grade: A

Sources: National People's Congress (2020). Criminal Law (Amended according to the 11th Amendment to the Criminal Law, Article 312). <https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925/index.html>; Supreme People's Procuratorate of China (2023). Typical cases of procuratorial organs punishing telecommunications network fraud and related crimes in accordance with the law (Case 9). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202311/t20231130_635188.shtml>; Supreme People's Court of China, Supreme People's Procuratorate of China (2025). Punish in accordance with the law cover-up, concealment of criminal proceeds, and typical cases of crime proceeds of crime (Case 5). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202508/t20250825_704514.shtml>

Notes: The consequences of lending your bank card to others or acting as a “money mule” are covered in Section 8, Item 8. This entry deals with cases where you personally perform the withdrawals and transfers. Claiming “I had no idea where the money came from” is unlikely to be accepted by authorities. When the payout seems unreasonably high, facial‑recognition verification is required, and the transaction looks suspicious, these facts alone can prove you were aware of the illegal nature of the activity. At minimum, you risk a 10‑day detention and a permanent criminal record.