Report an
employment scam.
Job seekers are prime targets for scammers. Fake job postings on Indeed, LinkedIn, and Craigslist trick applicants into sending personal information, paying upfront "training" fees, or depositing fraudulent checks. Task scams promise easy money for online work but require a "deposit" before you can withdraw earnings. If a job opportunity asked for your SSN before an interview, required payment upfront, or seemed too good to be true, report it here.
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Employment scams are booming — here's how they work
Employment scams have exploded since the remote work revolution. With millions of people searching for work-from-home jobs, scammers have a massive pool of targets and a simple pitch: easy money, no experience required, work on your own schedule. The FTC reported $367 million in losses to job and business opportunity scams in 2023, and the real number is almost certainly higher because many victims don't report — they're embarrassed, or they don't realize it was a scam until months later.
The fastest-growing variant is the "task scam." You're recruited through Telegram, WhatsApp, or a text message to do simple online tasks — rating products, watching videos, "boosting" app downloads. You earn small amounts at first, building trust. Then to access "premium" tasks with bigger payouts, you need to deposit money. The "earnings" accumulate on screen but when you try to withdraw, there are fees, minimums, or additional deposits required. It's the same psychological trap as pig butchering, repackaged for job seekers.
The fake check scam
You're "hired" and sent a check to deposit — supposedly for equipment, supplies, or your first week's pay. The check is for more than expected, and you're told to deposit it, keep your portion, and wire the rest back or send it to a "vendor." The check clears initially (banks make funds available before fully verifying), but bounces days later. You're on the hook for the full amount. This scam has been around for decades but continues to work because most people don't know that a check can appear to clear and still be fraudulent.
Protecting your identity
If you shared your Social Security number, driver's license, or bank account details with a fake employer, take action immediately. Place a fraud alert with one of the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax — alerting one automatically notifies the others). Consider a credit freeze if you shared your SSN. Monitor your bank account for unauthorized transactions. Then file a full report with every detail — the company name, the platform where you found the listing, the person's name and contact info, and what personal information you provided.
Where else to report employment scams
Report to these agencies, especially if you shared personal info:
- →FTC — reportfraud.ftc.gov — file a complaint about the fake job
- →IdentityTheft.gov — identitytheft.gov — if you shared SSN or other personal data
- →The job board — Report the listing on Indeed, LinkedIn, etc. — they have fraud teams
- →FBI IC3 — ic3.gov — for task scams, check scams, and large losses
Related scam types
Scammers often combine tactics. If this looks familiar, check these too: