When you’re hunting for work, a text alerting you to a new listing that sounds like your dream job could be your big break. But it could also be a scam designed to steal your personal information and money.
“Employment scams have been around for awhile, but as technology like AI advances, we’ve seen more scammers try to take advantage of job seekers,” says Toni Frana, lead career expert at FlexJobs, an online platform for flexible job postings.
Job scams ranked among the top five most common scams last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. They’re also costly for consumers, with a median loss of over $2,000 in 2023.
The growth in remote work leaves people more vulnerable, says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that provides advice and assistance related to identity theft. Because job seekers are used to communicating virtually, “they don’t necessarily see conducting an interview by text or communicating by …