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Job hunting can be grueling.
Endlessly scrolling job boards. Sending another resume seemingly into the void. So when a text message from a recruiter arrives directly to your phone promising flexibility, great benefits, and a big paycheck, you might think it's a gift from the universe.
More likely, it's a scammer targeting you for money, personal information, or free labor.
Job scammers made off with about $220 million in the first half of 2024, alone, according to the latest data available from the Federal Trade Commission. In a blog post, the agency also noted that most people don't report fraud, so this is likely a sliver of reality.
Also: I'm a tech professional, and an AI job scam almost fooled me - here's how I caught on
"I think we're seeing a high number of job scams right now because of the soft labor market, and unfortunately, scammers are trying to take advantage of these vulnerable job seekers," said Priya Rathod, workplace trends editor at Indeed.
And with the proliferation of remote jobs, people might be less inclined to question potential warning signs like the lack of an in-person interview, leaving them all the more exposed.
Here are three warning signs that a job could be a scam, and what to do if you might have fallen for one.
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