Job Scam Help & Investigation

Job scams have exploded in recent years and can be commonly found on reputable job search platforms. Fortunately, there are some common red flags that can help you identify them before it’s too late:

• Job offers that are unrealistic or seem “too good to be true.”
• Listings with vague descriptions and requirements.
• Unsolicited contact and immediate job offers.
• Any job that asks you to pay any sort of fee or provide sensitive information early on.

Common employment scams include:

• Remote job scams: Fake “work-from-home” roles offering high pay for little effort.
• Personal assistant scams: Scammers send fraudulent checks and ask victims to purchase items or forward funds.
• Data entry scams: Listings that require upfront payments for “software” or “training.”
• Fake recruiter scams: Cybercriminals impersonate real companies or recruiters to steal information.
• Task scams: Jobs that promise quick earnings for simple tasks, then demand fees or personal data.

Scammers create fake job listings or impersonate recruiters on platforms like LinkedIn or Indeed. They typically offer jobs with high pay and little effort. Victims are often asked to disclose personal data — such as ID, Social Security number, and banking data — or to pay for “training,” “equipment,” or “onboarding” before starting. However, the job never existed — and the scammer disappears once they get what they need.

Begin by reporting the job scam to the platform where the listing appears as well as law enforcement. This includes your local police, as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). You can notify the FBI of scams through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). If you need help at any step along the way, reach out to our team of experts through our Job Scam Helpline.

Our experts can trace the digital trail back to the scammer through techniques like metadata analysis and IP tracing to reveal their geolocation and identity. As for recovering lost funds, the biggest factor that determines success is time. Some payment methods are easier to track and reverse than others, but they all decrease in likelihood overtime. You should immediately report fraudulent transactions to your financial institution.

It’s highly unlikely that a legitimate company or recruiter would reach out to you using these methods. Any job offers made exclusively through messaging applications should be treated with extreme caution. Scammers will often use these platforms to elude restrictions and avoid detection. If you are unsure of any listing you find online, confirm its legitimacy by reaching out to the company through a verified contact method.

Start by checking that the listing you’ve found appears on the company’s official website. If you’ve had contact with the recruiter through email, check the header and make sure the address is consistent with the company’s domain. Search for the recruiter’s profiles on professional networking platforms and confirm their information is consistent with what they’ve shared. You should also consult online reviews of the business from previous applicants or employees.

Our experts will immediately get to work on your case. We will begin analyzing the data surrounding your experience to carefully gather evidence and assess the threat. We can take over communication with the scammer on your behalf to alleviate some of the stress of the situation. We get to action quickly to isolate potential threats and mitigate damage — because in the case of an employment scam, time is of the essence.