Job Scams: How to Identify, Avoid, and Deal with Fake Job Offers

When the world shut down in 2020, many were left looking for work they could do from home. This search naturally gravitated toward online job listing sites. With many legitimate jobs going remote in some capacity, an opportunity arose for scammers to take advantage. As a result, online job scams surged.

Remote job scams are nothing new, with recorded envelope stuffing scams dating back all the way to the Great Depression. Since then, the scams have evolved into highly sophisticated plots that combine stolen assets, social engineering, and trusted platforms to convince job seekers. Fake recruiters and online job scams are everywhere – from LinkedIn to WhatsApp. Read on to learn how to identify, avoid, and respond rationally to an employment scam.

What Are Job Scams and How Do They Work?

Job scams encapsulate any fraudulent and deceptive practices involving the hiring and employment process. They often offer alluring promises that seem too good to be true, such as unrealistically high salaries and minimal-effort work tasks.

The typical job scam often follows some variation of the following progression:

Contact. You may see a job listing that appears to be legitimate and begin the application process. Or in some cases, a fake “recruiter” may contact you unsolicited through channels like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Trust building. Once contact is made, the scammer begins establishing a rapport. They may steal the branding elements of a legitimate company or use information they’ve collected from the internet to make the offer seem authentic and personal.
Job offer. Some scammers will ask you to conduct a job interview, often through a video chat or even over text messages. Other employment scams will offer you a position right out of the gate.
Requests for payment or data. This is the true agenda at play. Perpetrators may ask you to pay for equipment or background checks with the promise of recompensation. In other cases, they ask for sensitive information like financial data under the guise of setting up direct deposit.
Disappearance. Once the scammer has obtained what they set out for, the line of communication goes cold. The job listing details are taken down and they are gone — along with your money and information.

The Most Common Types of Job Scams Today

Job scams continue to evolve with the changing landscape of how and where people work. These schemes can attack a variety of individuals looking for a multitude of different positions across different fields of work. That said, there are a few different types of job scams that frequently present themselves online. The following employment scams are seen most often by our experts:

Fake recruiter/HR impersonation. Scammers often fraudulently pose as recruiters for legitimate businesses to manufacture a false sense of legitimacy. AI technology helps aid these schemes by generating recruiting messages.
Work-from-home job scams. As remote work has become more commonplace, so too have scammers looking to capitalize on the trend. They will often claim you can be your own boss and set your own schedule, but communication ceases once you send money for equipment.
Data entry or typing scams. These types of scams started popping up more frequently as legitimate companies increasingly outsource data entry work. These jobs often offer unrealistically high wages for entry-level work.
Reshipping or “package processor” jobs. These scams can be especially damaging. Scammers will send victims products to be repackaged and reshipped. Not only is the victim not compensated, but the products are often stolen — meaning victims may also unknowingly enable a larger crime.
Crypto and investment “hiring” scams. This scam combines the recent spike in remote work with the rapid growth of cryptocurrency. Under the guise of high-paying jobs within the growing industry, scammers can collect personal information, drain wallets, and even deploy malware.
Telegram/WhatsApp “task” scams. Task job scams are the epitome of the high-pay, low-effort employment scam model. Perpetrators will often reach out to targets on messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. The “job” entails mundane tasks such as interacting with social media posts or leaving online reviews. They are usually housed on fraudulent apps that display fake earnings.
Personal assistant scams. Perpetrators may pose as a wealthy individual, such as a high-ranking executive, and post fraudulent listings. They claim to be looking for a personal assistant, but in reality, they are simply looking to harvest your personal data.
Mystery shopper scams. Legitimate companies often hire “mystery shoppers” to evaluate the consumer experience at their establishments. However, scammers will post fraudulent listings for these positions. They often send fake checks to the shopper, leaving them to foot the bill.
Brand impersonation scams. Employment scammers may impersonate an established brand, such as Amazon or Netflix. They often do this across social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok by posting fraudulent ads recruiting users for fake job positions.

Where Job Scams Happen Most (and Why)

If an online platform offers a way to promote a fraudulent job listing, it’s likely that job scammers have either utilized it or are developing methods to do so in the future. The following methods are commonly used to initiate contact:

Job listing websites. Legitimate job search platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter can be weaponized by job scammers. Bad actors can post fraudulent or cloned listings on these platforms to target the personal data of job seekers.
Social media. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can also be used to propagate job scams. According to Heimdal Security, social media platforms are the second-highest contact method for job scammers behind email.
Messaging apps. Scammers may send unsolicited messages to users on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram offering “easy remote work” or “part-time earnings.” These job scams are especially effective on targets who are applying to multiple jobs, as they may not recognize that the message was unprompted.
Local boards and forums. Platforms like Craigslist were designed to help connect local classifieds in a more efficient electronic manner. Job scammers take advantage of this sense of familiarity to bypass the reservations of users looking for employment opportunities.
Brand impersonation messages. As previously stated, email is the most commonly used contact method by employment scammers. Bad actors can pose as legitimate brands like Netflix and Amazon and construct fraudulent HR campaigns proposing simple jobs, such as task scams.

The Red Flags: How to Spot a Job Scam Before It’s Too Late

You may be asking yourself, “How can I tell if a job is a scam?” It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish real from fake online, but the patterns of job scammers create red flags that can reveal their true intentions. Be on the lookout for the following job scam warning signs during your search:

Promises of high pay for little work! One of the biggest tells of an employment scam is unrealistic salaries. Everybody would love for a get-rich-quick scheme to be genuine, but that’s simply not the case.
No real interview or process! Scammers may reach out to you and offer you a position that you never applied or interviewed for. The goal of this is to create a sense of urgency and trigger a quick response.
Recruiters using free email addresses! Legitimate recruiters will have email addresses that match the corporate email of the business they represent. If you get a message from a personal or free email domain, it’s likely a fake.
Poor grammar, pressure tactics, or urgency! You should expect a certain level of professionalism from a job offer message. If the person you are in contact with is committing spelling and punctuation errors or trying to sway your decision, proceed with caution and investigate them further.
Requests for upfront fees, banking details, or ID scans! While legitimate employers will ask for personal information, this typically only occurs after an interview has been conducted and a job offer accepted. Do not share this kind of information unless you can confirm the identity of the recipient.

Real Job Scam Examples (and What They Teach Us)

To truly understand how to identify a job scam, it’s beneficial to look at how these schemes unfold in real-world scenarios. In the following section, we will take a deeper look at three common job scams to explore how they are carried out, what makes them believable, and how you can distinguish them from legitimate offers.

The “Amazon Remote Reviewer” Job Scam

These scams have exploded in the age of remote work. While Amazon does have a product review program known as Amazon Vine, members are selected by Amazon and are compensated by being allowed to keep products that they review. They are not paid monetarily by Amazon or the companies that produce the product they sell.

Scammers often post fraudulent advertisements on social media proposing the opportunity to make large amounts of money for leaving product reviews. They’ll even include fake testimonials from other “reviewers.” One redditor discussed losing €1000 after falling into an Amazon review job scam they found from a Facebook ad.

The “Netflix Movie Tagger” Fake Job

Similar to the Amazon Remote Reviewer scam, this scheme finds a lot of success because Netflix does offer a job program for “taggers” to review content on the platform and tag it with category keywords. However, Netflix typically requires taggers to have work experience in film or data analysis, and legitimate job postings are only listed on their official career website.

Scammers post fake ads on social media platforms like TikTok, where eye-catching claims such as making up to $36 an hour to review Netflix content can easily go viral. Sharon Blatt Cohen of cybersecurity company Guardio explains that the advancement of AI makes it increasingly easy for scammers to create duplicate websites that are difficult to distinguish from Netflix’s official page at first glance.

“Indeed Job Offer” Text Message Scams

These schemes are especially effective because they appear to come from a legitimate job search platform. Scammers will pose as recruiters and send texts to unsuspecting targets offering them a job position that they are a “perfect fit” for. It’s important to note that Indeed will not contact users like this, and any employers using the platform should contact you within the app unless you’ve previously given them your phone number.

The rise of these schemes is evident in search engine usage data. According to Mashable, Google searches for the term “Indeed scam texts” increased by 550% over a 12-month span from 2024 to 2025. The messages often include abnormally high salaries, job offers without interviews, and language that creates a sense of urgency.

How to Verify If a Job Offer Is Legitimate

If you are still wondering how to identify job scams, that’s completely understandable. Searching for a job online is overwhelming enough on its own without the added stress of navigating potentially dubious listings. However, our experts have compiled a list of practices you can employ to tell if a job offer is actually a scam. Consider the following recommendations:

Research the company’s official website and communication channels.
Verify recruiter identity on LinkedIn, Indeed, and other job search platforms.
Check that the email domain matches company name and their official contact domain.
Look up job posts on legitimate platforms and check the company’s website for job listing information.
Ask for official documentation before providing any personally identifiable information.

What To Do If You Fell for a Job Scam (and How To Handle Fake Job Offers)

Unfortunately, employment scams are becoming more and more common. The FTC notes that reports of job scams tripled in the United States from 2020 to 2024. During that time, the reported losses spiked up from $90 million to $501 million.

These numbers indicate a growing need for online job searchers to understand what to do if they were scammed by a job offer. If you’ve fallen victim to one of these schemes, you’re in good company — but it doesn’t need to be devastating.

Our Experts Have Outlined The Steps to Deal With Job Scams.

Cut off communication immediately.
Save all evidence, including messages, emails, job post links, and contact information.
Change passwords and secure accounts. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) if you haven’t already.
Report the listing to the job search platform and your local and national law enforcement.
Notify your financial institution and monitor financial activity and credit reports.
Warn friends or peers to prevent further victims.

By taking these steps, you help victims handle the consequences of employment scams, deal with the damage more effectively, and support a safer online environment for all job seekers.

How to Avoid Job Scams in the Future

As technology advances and more and more people look for remote work options, job scams will only become more complex and widespread. However, all hope for prevention is not lost. You can take steps to protect yourself, avoid job scams, and search for work safely online. Here’s what our experts recommend:

Only apply via verified platforms
Be skeptical of unsolicited job messages
Don’t share private data early
Cross-check recruiters’ credentials
Stay informed about new scam trends

And if you are ever in need of professional assistance against job scams or any form of cybercrime, remember that the team at Cyber Investigation is here for you. You can reach us 24/7 to report job scams and get a free consultation with one of our specialists.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Job Scams

How can I tell if a remote job is fake?

The red flags of a fake remote job listing include the following:

Unrealistically high salaries and low workload.
Instant job offers without an interview.
Requests for money under the guise of equipment or training fees.

You can take steps to verify the legitimacy of a remote job listing, such as:

Verifying the listing on the company’s official website.
Comparing contact methods with the company’s official communication channels.
Looking at online reviews of the company from previous employees.

Are work-from-home job offers on LinkedIn real?

There are legitimate work-from-home job listings on LinkedIn. However, scammers know this too. That’s why they post fraudulent listings among real job opportunities to abuse the credibility of the platform. It’s important to conduct diligent research on any job listing you come across online, regardless of the platform.

Why are Telegram and WhatsApp job offers risky?

Job offers made on Telegram, WhatsApp, and other messaging platforms are risky because:

Most legitimate companies will not use these channels for communication during the interview process.
The platform provides lower communication moderation compared to job search platforms.
It’s easy for scammers to create fraudulent accounts without verification.
There is a large user base, making the platform attractive to employment scammers who are looking to target a large number of people.

What are the most common fake job positions?

There is a wide array of job positions that could be used to create a fraudulent listing to target the personal data of job seekers. The employment scams that our experts most frequently come across include:

Work-from-home job scams.
Fake recruiter job scams.
Data entry and “task” job scams.
Reshipping job scams.
Fake check and onboarding fee job scams.

Can fake recruiters steal my identity?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Job scammers understand that it’s normal for applicants to share personally identifiable information throughout the application process, and they weaponize this to evade the reservations of individuals who wouldn’t normally share this data under different conditions. This is why it’s so critical to research any position you are applying for before sharing any private information.

What’s the safest way to apply for jobs online?

What you’ve read in this article has probably made the prospect of job searching online feel terrifying. However, it is possible to safely search for employment on the internet with the proper approach. Our experts recommend the following practices:

Only use verified job listing platforms.
Don’t share private data before confirming the identity of the recipient.
Cross-check recruiters’ credentials across professional platforms.
Avoid job offers and listings that you receive without applying or reaching out.
Stay informed about the latest scam trends and cybersecurity best practices.