Scammers are luring job seekers with well-paying job offers that can end up costing them everything. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, scammers are using platforms like LinkedIn to impersonate recruiters and create fake job listings, making it difficult for job seekers to spot fraud. With artificial intelligence, fraudsters craft convincing job postings targeting desperate individuals, such as recent graduates and those recently laid off.

• In 2023, job scams rose by 118% compared to the previous year, with fraudulent business and job opportunity reports reaching ~108K.
• These scams resulted in a total loss of $500.8M, with the average victim losing nearly $2.2K, up from $373.5M in 2022.

Beware of scammers: The boom in scams is also due to the shift towards digital-only job applications and interviews, providing scammers with more opportunities to exploit job seekers. With rising unemployment, many Americans are falling prey to these scams. Experts recommend being cautious of job offers that require upfront payment for equipment or training and verifying the legitimacy of the company making the offer.