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The job market feels tougher than ever right now, despite relatively low unemployment rates. So imagine being one of the 1.6 million Americans hunting for a job for at least six months, then, at long last, you get an unprompted message from a recruiter.
You're offered a work-from-home position, making thousands of dollars a day. All you have to do is fill out a form with your personal information or in some cases, pay for a starter business kit.
Too good to be true, right? Yes. Opportunities like this are usually employment scams.
They may not always look like this, but job scams in general aim to coerce you into spending money you'll never get back or trick you into giving up your data. Telling them apart from real job opportunities can be tricky, especially when you're itching to find work.
Here's how to tell if a job prospect is legitimate or just a scammer after your cash.
Read more: Employment Identity Theft Happens More Often Than You Think
How job scams work
Job scams can take on many different forms depending on the end goal, and practically anyone can be a target. Victims lost $501 million to job and employment agency scams in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission's annual fraud report.
Criminals impersonate a recruiter, business owner or hiring manager to advertise fake jobs or opportunities for nefarious purposes. In some cases, fraudsters will set up bots to target people who have posted on LinkedIn about being laid off or being "OpenToWork."
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