The latest information on the new generation of employment scams

You may have heard more about job scams (or employment scams) recently. These scams are designed to steal your money or data, and they usually involve fake listings posted on  job boards, scammers posing as recruiters, or jobs that don’t actually exist.

A new BBB International Investigations Initiative study found two surprising things about job scams:

• Job scams are on the rise: Reports to BBB about this type of scam exploded in 2025, doubling over the previous year.

• Recently, more people are reporting “task-based” job scams where they are offered high pay to “like” videos and subscribe to channels online.

Over the last three years, nearly 50,000 people reported to BBB Scam Tracker after falling victim to an employment scam. Hundreds of these reports involved task-based scams where fraudsters impersonated popular companies and pretended to hire job seekers to “boost engagement” on videos and channels online.

People can potentially lose thousands of dollars to job scams: The median loss in job scams reported to BBB from 2023-2025 was $1,400.

Looking for a new job is stressful enough without having to dodge scams. The good news for job seekers is that a few precautions can help protect your information and money while you’re searching.

It’s safest to apply for jobs directly on the company’s website to avoid impostors, and you should be wary if someone offers you a job out of the blue – especially if it has unusually high pay or good perks. And if a job involves liking videos or subscribing, that’s a hard pass: In nearly every case, this will be a scam.

What are the red flags of a job scam?

• Unprompted job offers

• Jobs offered without an interview

• Too-good-to-be-true salaries

• High-pressure offers to take a job immediately

• Interviewers refuse to turn on camera

• Payment to like or subscribe to videos online

• Charges or taxes to withdraw money already earned

• Upfront costs to begin work

How can I avoid job scams?

• Do research on companies offering jobs. If someone reaches out to you out of the blue, attempt to find a posting for the job on the company’s official website.

• Never pay money to get your paycheck. No legitimate job will ask you to pay taxes or any other fee to “unlock” funds you have already earned.

• Avoid jobs paying you to watch videos, like them or subscribe to a channel. In nearly every case, this will be a scam.

• Always use video in an interview if possible. If an employer offers you a job without an interview, be wary.

You can find BBB’s new employment scams study, as well as more deep dives into common types of fraud, at BBB.org/ScamStudies.