Job Search Scams: A Guide to Safe Job Searching

Job search scams have become a surprisingly common issue for job seekers. These scams waste time and energy even when spotted early, and can ultimately lead to financial loss or identity theft.

In what's proven to be a challenging job market, scammers have found new and sophisticated ways to exploit job seekers. If you're looking for a new job, make it a priority to understand the tactics used by these malicious actors and how to protect yourself.

This comprehensive guide explores the objectives of job search scams, the most common types of scams, specific red flags to watch out for, practical tips for staying safe, and a few real-life case studies.

1. What Scammers are Hoping to Accomplish

Job search scammers have a clear set of goals:

• They aim to financially profit at the expense of unsuspecting individuals by fraudulently soliciting money. This could be under the guise of training fees, certification costs, job search assistance, or investment in "necessary" equipment or software to start working.
• They seek to collect personal and financial information that can be used for fraudulent activities. Acquiring personal information under false pretenses allows scammers to commit identity theft. They use this stolen data to open new accounts, obtain credit cards, make unauthorized purchases, or even take out loans in the victim's name, leading to financial and reputational damage.
• They seek to exploit workers in the form of unpaid work. Victims might complete tasks or projects under the promise of future payment or employment, which never materializes. Elaborate projects may be disguised as part of the interview process to assess a candidate's suitability. Victims invest significant time and effort into tasks with the expectation of payment or employment, only to find communication cut off or filled with excuses once the work is submitted.
• Cybersecurity Analyst Deshay Sells also shared that other scams may include, "jobs that require upfront fees, ask for personal financial information, or promised unusually high salaries with minimal effort. What I would suggest to anyone would be to research companies thoroughly and be wary of vague job descriptions or requests for payment through unconventional methods."

2. Common Scams in the Current Job Market

• Upfront Payment Demands or Employment Fees: Scammers charge for non-existent background checks, training, or supplies for a job that doesn't exist.
• Reshipping and Money Handling: The "employer" asks to use your address or bank account to move goods or funds, implicating you in illegal activities.
• Fake Recruiting: Scammers pose as recruiters, collecting fees for guaranteed job placement.
• Work-from-Home Scams: Offers for high-paying, remote jobs that turn out to be fronts for money laundering or pyramid schemes.
• Phishing Emails: Unsolicited job offers designed to trick you into providing sensitive information.
• Phishing for Personal Information: Fake job listings or offers are used as bait to collect sensitive personal information for identity theft.
• Unpaid Trial Work: Victims are lured with the promise of employment if they complete trial assignments, which are actually just a means of getting free labor.
• Investment Scams: Scammers present a job opportunity that requires the victim to invest money upfront, supposedly for a share in the business or to buy into a franchise, promising significant returns that never materialize.
• Recruitment Service Scams: Supposed "recruiters" claim a candidate's job application materials aren't ATS-friendly, urging them to pay for a specific, unnecessary service to enhance their chances.
• Multi-Level Marketing Opportunities: The scam here is the business itself. MLM representatives may contact you with an "opportunity of a lifetime" under the guise of being a "recruiter," all in an effort to improve their own bottom line at your expense.
• Ghost Job Listings: Scammers post fake job openings on legitimate job boards or company websites to gather personal information. These listings appear highly desirable but are either for nonexistent roles or positions that have already been filled. The goal is to entice candidates to provide detailed personal information (such as resumes, social security numbers, and references) that can be used for identity theft or sold on the black market.

3. Specific Red Flags to Watch Out For

• High-pressure Tactics: Exercise caution when pressured to make quick decisions under the guise of not missing out on an opportunity. Urgency is one of the most common red flags present in almost any kind of scam. A legitimate recruiter, even one that's hoping to fill a role quickly, will not pressure you to make a major decision without thinking about it overnight or having the chance to consult with family and friends. Any urgent request for same-day action should be scrutinized.
• Requests for Payment: Be skeptical of jobs requiring upfront payment for training, equipment, or placement. Such demands are often the precursors to scams, as legitimate employers typically cover these costs themselves or do not require payment as a condition of employment.
• Specific Vendor Equipment Purchases: Question the need to buy equipment from a specific vendor with promises of later reimbursement. The job is unlikely to exist, and the requestor is doing this to earn a commission or affiliate payment from what may be an otherwise legitimate vendor.
• Early Requests for Personal Information: Approach early requests for sensitive information with caution, especially when asked for your social security number or bank details. Wait until you're officially hired to share this information. Application Security Analyst Rim B. also reminds us that you should never share your password with anyone.
• Vague Job Descriptions: Lack of clear job responsibilities and requirements. Clarity is key in legitimate offers.
• No Public Company Information: Difficulty finding verifiable information on the company, such as an official website, physical address, or legitimate contact details. Even "stealth" startups should be able to provide some credentials upon signing an NDA.
• Lack of Official Documentation: No formal, written job offer or contract is provided, or documentation is vague about the terms of employment and compensation. Legitimate employers will always put everything in writing.
• Unprofessional Emails: Pay attention to unprofessional communication, such as poor grammar, spelling mistakes, and the use of personal rather than professional email accounts.
• Communication Through Encrypted Apps: Be wary of requests to communicate through encrypted apps like WhatsApp or Signal, a method potentially used to evade detection without leaving a trace. Insistence on using messaging apps for communication instead of professional channels like email can be a tactic to avoid detection and leave no trace.
• Pressure to Provide Confidential Information: Resist pressures to divulge confidential or proprietary information from past employment under the guise of proving your qualifications. This is an unreasonable demand in genuine recruitment processes.
• Unrealistic Offers: Treat offers that promise exceptionally high pay for minimal work and/or require no experience with skepticism, as they do not align with standard professional expectations. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

4. Tips for Staying Safe

• Trust Your Instincts: If something feels off about a job offer or the hiring process, it's better to err on the side of caution.
• Exercise Healthy Skepticism: Vigilance and due diligence are your best defenses against falling victim to job search scams. Maintain a healthy level of skepticism, especially with unsolicited job offers, those that promise unusually high compensation for minimal effort, or anyone that pressures you into urgent action. Always question why you were selected and what the company gains from offering you such terms without a thorough vetting process.
• Conduct Thorough Research: Verify the company's existence through reputable sources before applying or responding to job offers. Check their website, read reviews on platforms like Glassdoor, and find recent news articles about the company. Search online for the company's name and words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” Look for consistency in the information provided across various platforms, including checking the spelling of websites and email addresses. Learn more about How to Research a Company .
• Protect Personal Information: Guard your personal and financial information carefully. Never share sensitive details such as your social security number, bank account information, or personal identification numbers until you have received a formal job offer from a legitimate organization, and you're confident in their legitimacy.
• Be Careful With Your Passwords: Application Security Analyst Rim B. contacted me after I published this article to highlight the importance of practicing good password hygiene. Use long, complex passwords that are unique for each account. Update passwords regularly and avoid using easily guessable information, such as birthdays or common words. Implement multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security, enhancing the protection of your online accounts. Don't share your passwords with employers, potential employers, or anyone else.
• Use "Normal" Channels for Communication: Stick to professional and secure channels like official company email for job-related communications. IT Security Manager William Murray, CISM adds, "A major warning sign indicating a potential job scam is a strong push towards using encrypted chat platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal. Legitimate job processes typically involve more substantial interactions such as phone calls, video interviews, or in-person meetings, rather than relying heavily on text-based communication."
• Ask Questions and Seek Documentation: Request detailed job descriptions, formal job offers, and contracts. Illegitimate employers will deflect your questions and concerns, or otherwise ghost you when you start to raise them. Legitimate employers will provide clear documentation outlining the role, responsibilities, compensation, and terms of employment. Hesitation or refusal to provide these documents is a red flag.
• Verify Through Direct Contact: If in doubt, directly contact the company using contact information obtained through official channels, not those provided in the suspicious communication. This step can help verify the legitimacy of the job offer. InfoSec Professional Joseph D. recommends, "Be suspicious of unsolicited outreach via social networks like Facebook or Instagram. True job opportunities should be confirmable on established sites such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or the company's own website, regardless of the source's credibility."
• Consult with Trusted Individuals: Discuss the opportunity with friends, family, or mentors, especially if you feel pressured or uncertain. Sometimes, an outside perspective can identify red flags you might have overlooked. Many career coaches (including Kim Johnson ??) are happy to assist in identifying a potential scam, even if you're not a paying client.
• Be Cautious with Confidential Information: Never provide confidential information from past employment as part of the interview process. Legitimate companies will respect professional boundaries and ethical considerations.
• Report Suspicious Activity: If you encounter a scam, report it to relevant authorities such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the U.S. or equivalent organizations in your country. Sharing your experience on social media and professional networks can also help warn others. If you've encountered a job search scam not listed here, please consider adding a comment or sharing it privately with me. I hope to keep this article updated as new scams come to my attention.

5. Stories from Job Seekers

Phishy Job Offers: An anonymous job seeker in my network received an email about a job she hadn't applied for, offering a higher-than-expected salary as an executive assistant. The application process asked for her personal information, including her debit card number and pin, under the guise of setting up her account to receive payment. Suspicious, she researched the company and found no online presence, successfully avoiding potential identity theft.

Scummy Recruiting Services: Account Services & Billing VP Jennifer Cotugno was approached by a senior recruiter for a position in line with her extensive leadership experience in improving customer experience. After submitting her resume, the recruiter claimed it wasn't ATS-friendly and sent her a link to a paid service to get it fixed. (Worth noting - this website no longer exists). Sensing something amiss, Jennifer reached out to me for advice, and we set out to investigate. The "recruiter", who appeared legitimate on LinkedIn, was merely a sales agent for the now-defunct resume formatting site. There was no company or job opening.

Unpaid Work Exploitation: A few folks reported a scam that was prevalent on the freelancing job site Upwork a few months ago. There would be a seemingly legitimate job posting for a well-known marketing agency, often for positions in data science or software engineering. After applying, someone would interview you, and a few days later they would offer you a job that was unpaid for the first 30 days. Upon looking more closely, the contact's email address was one character off from that of the well-known marketing agency.

The Upfront Purchase Scam: Mike applied for a remote job via LinkedIn Easy Apply, and after only one 30-minute "interview" (Red Flag 1 ??), he received a job offer with a high-but-not-unreasonable salary. The company instructed Mike to purchase equipment from Apple, but to have it shipped to someone on their IT team for setup (Red Flag 2 ??). Mike was told that he would receive a reimbursement check within 30 days. The company pressured Mike to act quickly (Red Flag 3 ??) so that it would arrive in time for his first day of work. When Mike started asking questions and let on that he was suspicious, the company stopped responding.

The Bait-and-Switch: Commercial Real Estate Executive Caryn Hutson once found a promising remote position on LinkedIn from Jobot with an attractive salary. When trying to apply with a tailored resume and cover letter, the job was already "expired", in spite of being newly posted just hours before. While she could no longer apply, Jobot had already collected her email address. I had a similar experience with Jobot myself, and it left us both wondering about the legitimacy of Jobot's job advertisements, which always seem to be a 100% match to whatever string you happened to search for. We questioned whether our experiences were coincidental anomalies or a common practice by the company to collect emails for marketing purposes.

The Company Doesn't Exist: Another anonymous job seeker received two emails from supposed recruiters regarding employment opportunities. Searching for the company on LinkedIn found nothing (Red Flag 1 ??). The website looked legitimate, but it seemed generic and had very little detail (Red Flag 2 ??). None of the people on the "Who We Are" page could be found on LinkedIn (Red Rlag 3 ??). The address on the "Contact Us" page was an empty lot on Coney Island (Red Flag 4 ??). Additional red flags reported by others include the recruiters using personal email addresses not affiliated with the company, and an interview that was text-based instead of via phone, video, or in-person.

Want to see the website for yourself? Send me a message and I'll send you a link. I don't want to further legitimize their scammy operation by providing them with an SEO-boosting backlink in this article.

Spoofing as a Legit Company: A former colleague of mine (we'll call him Bob) shared a distressing tale that ultimately resulted in a police report. Bob applied to a job posting on ZipRecruiter. Ballet Incorporated (not their real name, as they're a victim in this too) is, in fact, a real and legitimate company. But, as Bob later learned, the job ad itself was posted fraudulently. Bob shared SO much useful information here, so it's a bit long, but let's dig into how he spotted the scam:

After applying, Bob received a positive response within the hour (in this job market, I'm calling this Red Flag 1 ??). The email was from "career.balletinc@gmail. com" (Red Flag 2 ??, that's not the email's domain). Bob was BCC'ed in the email (That's a mere Eyebrow Raise ?? for me -- odd but harmless, but it starts to add up), and it was addressed to "Dear Applicant" (??). The text of the email included, "You are to immediately contact the Senior Recruiter" (Unreasonable urgency = Red Flag 3 ??) at the email address "interviewsession992@gmail. com" (Red Flag 4 ??).

At this point, Bob already knew this was likely a scam, but he decided to go along with it to see how it played out. Bob scheduled the "screen," but instead of receiving a call or link to a video chat at the agreed-upon time, he received an email. "You are required to email back your answers to me within the next 90 minutes." (Eyebrow raise ??, or Red Flag 5 ??)?

Bob wrote his answers to the dozen or so surface-level questions and replied 4 hours later, knowing full well that this was definitely a scam. Lo and behold, the very next day, with no further interviews, Bob received an offer of employment. ?????? RED ALERT ??????.

Bob decided to contact Ballet Incorporated directly via the phone number listed on their website, and an incredibly helpful woman named Jamie answered. As Bob began to explain his situation, Jamie let him know that the job ad was a fraudulent listing and that more than a dozen candidates had already contacted the company after getting a similar "job offer." Several "candidates" had gone so far as to provide their bank account number for direct deposit, and consequently had funds stolen by the scammers. Jamie and the legitimate company were already in contact with police, and so Bob provided the detectives with email headers and additional data from his experience. Bob offered to arrange for a call so that it could possibly be traced, but unfortunately, he never heard back. As Bob put it, the scammer was probably off to his next grift after successfully scamming those few job seekers.

I feel for the folks who were scammed and hope they're OK, but I'm also thankful that my buddy Bob didn't fall for it himself. "Bob," thank you so much for sharing your story and providing so many details in an effort to help others. Kudos to the real "Ballet Incorporated" for trying your best to shut down the scammers, and I hope this in no way damaged your reputation.

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this article in some way, either to share a scam they (or someone they know) experienced or to provide tips on how to stay safe. Special thanks to William Murray, CISM , Steven Reubenstone , Jennifer Cotugno , Caryn Hutson , Deshaye S. , Joseph D. , Nathan Keyes , Rim B. , Trampas Whiteman and many more!

Did I miss something? I plan for this to be a living document, where I edit and add more scams as they come to my attention. Please let me know if you're aware of any other job search-related scams, stories, motives, red flags, or tips to stay safe.