Job Scams Are on the Rise; There Are Some Obvious Ways to Spot Them

The Federal Trade Commission in Washington. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)

The text began: “Hello, we noticed that our background and resume had been recommended by several online recruitment agencies. That’s why we want to offer you a part-time job that you can do in your free time. Our job is simple: We just review your favorite merchants on the Target platform. Daily bonuses range from $50 to $500. Receive a base salary of $800 for every 54 work days.”

You are certainly not alone if you’ve received texts or emails such as this in the past year. According to the email marketing services company Emailtooltester, nearly 97 percent of all Americans receive some sort of spam by email or text every day, and many of those messages deal with job opportunities.

The message above is a typical example of text spam pitching job offers and referencing high-profile employers such as Target or recruiting companies such as Indeed.

“Scams often include imposter and secret shopper scams,“ a page on Target’s website warns. ”Typically, the fraudster will contact their victims via email, posing as Target with a flash subject line such as ‘job offer’ or ‘influencer opportunities.’ Once they establish communication, this victim is instructed to share personal information, purchase and share gift card numbers, or buy certain items to review.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scammers advertise jobs the same way that honest employers do—online (in ads, job sites, and social media), in newspapers, and sometimes on TV and radio. They promise you a job, but what they really want is your money and your personal information.

“My biggest advice is to do some homework and research on the companies that are reaching out to you. It’s more challenging if the message is pretending to be a real company,” Alec Jones, a talent acquisition specialist at Detroit-area Blue Chip Talent, told The Epoch Times.

“A lot of these offers are coming by text because it’s quicker for them than email. I’d highly recommend you make the people sending these offers call you. And look them up on LinkedIn—in most cases, you won’t find them.”

If people are receiving regular offers for job and work-at-home opportunities, it’s not an accident, according to Melanie McGovern, the Better Business Bureau’s director of public relations. She said that people sometimes unknowingly lay out enough information online to become an easy mark for scammers.

“We did a phishing study that found there’s so much information on all of us out there that they’re targeting anyone who opens the initial communication,” Ms. McGovern told The Epoch Times.

Phishing, which employs a tactic to gain personal information through fake offers issued by email or text, has become a significant player in scams that literally take cash from their targets. According to the Better Business Bureau’s phishing study, the nonprofit has received nearly 10,000 phishing complaints since 2021, with a median financial loss of about $250.

One of the critical warnings issued by the FTC is that, in some cases, answering these ads won’t make you any money. Instead, people may end up shelling out their cash for starter kits, so-called training, or useless certifications. Sometimes, people later discover that a credit card has been charged without permission.

“If the interview is by text, that’s a big red flag. Asking you to email a check is another. Reputable companies don’t do this. You should never have to pay for your equipment if you’re working remotely,” Ms. McGovern said.

“If the job offer claims it’s representing a big company, go to their job openings page and see if it actually exists, or just call the company HR department.”

Many of these phishing scam texts and emails also name-drop large national recruiting companies to get you to respond, albeit with questionable grammar, which is another warning sign.

“Hello, My name is Mary from Randstad Agency and we have job opportunities that we are offering at the moment with suitable salary income. May I share more details concerning the jobs at large?” is another such example.

“Mary” later offered the recipient an interview with “her boss” on WhatsApp.

Mr. Jones said there were numerous red flags evident in that exchange.

“Legitimate recruiting companies never make a job offer by text regarding any serious job offer. We make phone calls, and sometimes, I’ll contact someone on LinkedIn first so they can see what I do and the clients I’ve worked with. Regarding connecting on WhatsApp, that never happens with a legitimate job offer.”

He also said that he’s not immune to these types of job offers.

“I had two people reach out to me from India and never gave me a job description or even ask about my work experience.”