Job Search · November 12, 2026 · 4 min read

How to Spot a Job Scam: Red Flags and What to Do

Scammers advertise jobs the same way honest employers do: online, on job sites and on social media. What they really want is your money and your personal information. Here's what the latest numbers show, which scams to know, the red flags to watch for, how to check that a job is real and what to do if you've been targeted.

How big the problem is

Employment fraud reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) cost victims about $362.9 million in 2025, up from about $264.2 million in 2024.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) keeps its own count. In 2024, people filed more than 105,000 job scam reports with the FTC, nearly three times as many as in 2020, and reported losing more than $513 million. In 2025, one in three people who reported losing money to a job or business opportunity scam said it started on social media.

These figures only include people who came forward. The FTC notes that most scams aren't reported to the government, so real losses are likely much higher.

Common job scams

• Fake checks: A new "employer" sends you a check and tells you to deposit it, keep part as your pay and send the rest on, for example to buy supplies for the job. Banks must make deposited funds available quickly, but it can take weeks to discover that a check is fake. By then the scammer has your money, and you're stuck paying the bank back.
• Upfront fees: You're told to pay for training, a certification, a starter kit or equipment like a computer, sometimes with a promise that you'll be reimbursed. Honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job or to pay upfront for equipment.
• Task scams: You're offered money for online tasks, like giving positive ratings or reviews. Eventually, you're asked to deposit your own money.
• Fake recruiter texts: Unexpected texts or WhatsApp or Telegram messages offer remote work. They often mention pay, sometimes a daily or weekly rate, with no details about the actual job. In a newer twist, they ask you to reply YES or INTERESTED instead of clicking a link.
• Requests for personal information: Scammers pose as recruiters for well-known companies on LinkedIn and other job sites. They may send an official-looking invitation to a virtual interview, then ask for your Social Security number, driver's license or bank account number. If you share it thinking it's for payroll, you may end up with an identity theft problem.
• Reshipping "jobs": Your job is to receive packages at home, repackage the items and ship them to an address the scammer gives you. The goods are often bought with stolen credit cards, and reshipping is never a real job.

Red flags to watch for

• A job offer you never applied for shows up in a text, chat app or social media message.
• The message talks about pay but says little about the actual work.
• You're asked to pay for training, a starter kit, equipment or a placement fee.
• You get a check and are told to send part of the money somewhere else or buy gift cards with it.
• Someone offers to pay you for liking posts or leaving positive ratings.
• Someone you can't verify asks for your Social Security, driver's license or bank account number.
• The job is mostly receiving and reshipping packages from home.

How to check whether a job is real

1. Search the company's or recruiter's name with words like "scam," "review" or "complaint."
2. Contact the company directly using a phone number or website you know is real, not contact details the recruiter gave you.
3. Ignore unexpected texts and messages offering you a job you never applied for, and don't reply, even with YES. Honest employers don't recruit that way. Job alerts you signed up for are different, but they should never ask you for money or personal details.
4. Never pay to get a job or to get paid, and never deposit a check from a new employer and send money back.
5. Describe the offer to someone you trust and ask what they think before you accept.

What to do if you've been targeted

1. Stop responding, and don't send any more money or personal information.
2. Contact your bank or credit union right away and ask them to reverse the payment or refund your money. If you paid with a payment app, gift card or wire transfer, contact that company or the card issuer immediately.
3. If you gave out your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov for steps to protect yourself or recover.
4. If you shared a username and password, create a new, strong password and turn on two-factor authentication.
5. Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also file a complaint with the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov and report it to your state attorney general.

The takeaway

Real employers don't charge you to get hired, send you checks to pass along or recruit you through vague texts out of the blue. If an offer feels off, slow down, check it out on your own and talk it over with someone you trust before you share anything.

When you're ready to keep looking, you can search jobs on JobMatchUSA.

Sources

1. 2025 IC3 Annual Report — FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
2. FTC takes steps to stop deceptive and unfair labor market practices — Federal Trade Commission
3. Reported losses to scams on social media eight times higher than in 2020 — Federal Trade Commission
4. Job Scams — Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice
5. How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams — Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice
6. That job offer text is probably a scam — Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice
7. Scammers impersonate well-known companies, recruit for fake jobs on LinkedIn and other job platforms — Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice
8. What To Do if You Were Scammed — Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice