08/18/2026
FRAUD ALERT: EMPLOYMENT SCAMS
In 2025, U.S. employers laid off more than 1.17 million workers. Scammers have taken advantage of this fact by targeting job seekers with employment scams. Fraudsters create fake job advertisements on social media, online marketplaces, and job search websites. Some scammers also impersonate legitimate staffing agencies and companies with the same common goal: To obtain personal information and/or access to financial assets. For example: Scammers may falsely claim to represent a well-known company, such as Walmart, and direct applicants to a fraudulent website that appears legitimate.
To protect yourself and others from these scams, consider the following:
If an online advertisement promises unusually high pay for little work, it is most likely a scam.
DO NOT send money or pay any fee to apply for a job or an interview.
DO NOT provide your banking information, social security number, copies of government-issued identifications or other information before validating the source.
Be cautious of employers that offer you a job without conducting an interview.
Research the company independently and verify that the recruiter or hiring manager is affiliated with the organization by utilizing official contact information.
Even reputable job search websites like LinkedIn and Indeed can and do contain fraudulent job postings.
If you believe you have been targeted by an employment scam, stop communicating with the suspected scammer, preserve all emails, text messages, and job postings and report it to your local police department. You can also report scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and/or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) https://www.ic3.gov.
