10 Evil Job Scams To Avoid This Year

It’s summer, and job seekers, including recent high school and college graduates, are scam targets. Each year, new scams appear with a new layer of deception to fool victims into thinking they have struck employment gold. Since job scams are here to stay, job seekers must know the potential and actual schemes targeting them. Some of the most popular job boards in the world have unknowingly hosted fake jobs. According to Beyond Identity, 29% of board users are scam victims.

There are too many incidents and types of scams to mention, but my goal is to offer some examples of job scams from articles so that we can learn what to do and what not to do. I hope you’ll use this as an essential guide. Still, I hope these examples will inspire you to be proactive in not getting trapped or fooled by those masquerading as hiring managers, recruiters, or even employees recruiting you for fake jobs.

Scammers want your money and data.

Today’s scammers masquerade as saviors or angels of light, so people trust them to provide the same data they would entrust actual employers with, such as checking account routing numbers, phone numbers (emergency contacts), social security numbers, etc. They lure you with promises of a dream opportunity and sometimes want you to buy a useless or non-existent tech product with promises to reimburse you. Sounds crazy, right?

There are ways to prevent scammers from invading your privacy through malware, spyware, adware, phishing, and viruses. Any of these scamming software can negatively affect your company’s functionality and allow scammers to access your private data. If you want to protect your computer and don’t have security software to help protect your web activity, read this Consumer Reports article to get you started.

Scammers are using all the tools at their fingertips.

You can count on tech innovation to breed job advancement opportunities and tools for job seekers, as well as the same means scammers use to victimize the unsuspecting. Every new application, social site, and technology tool created is also a workshop for those looking to make money off victims. An estimated 14 million people are exposed to job scams yearly.

Here are the 25 articles I’ve compiled over two years that I’ve learned from, and I hope you will be vigilant, cautious, and proactive after you’ve read a few of these. The greatest weapon against scammers is exposing them to your community with warnings, sharing their behavior, and reporting them to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and your state’s attorney general. Scammers hate attention to their schemes, and the more people in your community know, the more it will foil their attempts at getting your money and data.

The BBB and FTC have continued their vigilance for several years and often offer daily alerts on their X (formerly Twitter) feed. There are ten things you should do to avoid any scam exposure, even if you weren’t a victim before:

· Investigate the company’s legal standing.

Your instincts and actions could prevent scams.

Most people who deter scammers instinctively notice “something is off.” Many times, it’s not too late to refuse to go further in the process, report the incident, block the scammer, and tell your network about it. Scammers would have won if they had been able to reach you. The information to contact you has already made you vulnerable to other possible scams.

Susan P. Joyce, an online job search expert and a fierce advocate for job seekers and data privacy, told me simple things, such as keeping your birthday and wedding dates off social media, that are critical in maintaining privacy. Each job seeker must be visible yet not vulnerable online, and understanding the potential of scammers reaching out to them is a reality for everyone. Be proactive in controlling your data by safeguarding its privacy and validating those employers with actual jobs.

1.    

Scam: Fake company hires 50 people for fake jobs.

How does the scam work?

Often called jobfishing, the leader gets victims to agree to work a six-month probationary commission-based period. They provide fake “employees” profiles and Zoom calls with scammers and victims working together.

How to avoid this scam?

Thoroughly research the company, including its human resources personnel, hiring managers, and anyone they say is an employee. Fake companies often have weak internet appearances and no state registration of their businesses. Look for inconsistent web information, a bare-bone website, and vague social profiles.

The scammer’s LinkedIn company page is a good indicator of legitimacy. If employees associated with the company also have sparsely filled-out profiles, fake photos, and very little about it, avoid it. Report them to LinkedIn as they try to rid the platform of scammers recruiting on it.

2.     

Scam: A fake company gets a victim to work in another country under a visitor’s visa.

How does the scam work?

Fake employers will convince victims they have special permission to work in a foreign country under a visitor’s visa. Scammers realize some people are desperate to move to another country and need work. However, each country has a specific process for work permits.

How to avoid this scam?

The bigger picture is what the country says about your reason for working in their country, not anyone else’s. Be careful not to be lured into “free immigration” offers. Check the country’s government website for the correct process to enter the country for work. Scammers will give the illusion of using their ways to bypass the legal process.

Read the rest of this article at "The Job Scam Report" on Substack !