Job Scams: How to Spot One and What to Do If You're Hit

What job scammers are after, and the scams that get them there

Common job scams include:

• Task scams. You are paid to do simple repetitive tasks such as liking videos or rating product images. Many people report getting small payouts at first, the FTC says, which builds trust. Then you are told to deposit your own money, often in cryptocurrency, to unlock more work or withdraw your "earnings." In the FTC's words: "That money isn't real. And if you deposit money, you won't get it back."
• Fake check and equipment scams. The "employer" mails you a check, tells you to deposit it, and asks you to send part of the money to someone else, buy gift cards, or buy a laptop or phone and mail it to their IT department. The check is fake. The FTC explains that banks have to make deposited funds available quickly, so seeing the money in your account does not mean the check is good, and you end up paying the bank back.
• Pay-to-work fees. Charges for processing fees, equipment, training, or a placement. The FTC says honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job.
• Reshipping and money handling. You receive packages or money and forward them. The FTC says reshipping goods is never a real job.

Scammers also favor popular, entry-level titles. Indeed's list of scam job titles includes assistant, receptionist, delivery driver, and warehouse jobs, and remote roles like customer service, work-from-home data entry, online survey taker, and social media manager. Real jobs use these titles too, so a matching title is only a reason to run the checks below.

Job scams are not the same as ghost jobs, which are postings from real companies for roles they are not actively filling.

Red flags that a job offer is a scam

Some of these, like any request for money, are a scam on their own. The rest are reasons to stop and verify before you share anything.

• Any request for money. LinkedIn says legitimate companies should not require transfers, checks, gift cards, or wired funds as a condition of applying.
• Big pay for little work. The FTC says that an offer to make a lot of money in a short period of time with little work is almost certainly a scam.
• Hired with no real interview. Indeed says real employers want to talk to you before hiring. The FBI lists not asking for any references as a red flag in fake work-from-home task jobs.
• Very fast hiring. LinkedIn lists quick hiring processes as a warning sign and says most legitimate processes take 2 to 6 weeks.
• Pressure to move off the platform. LinkedIn flags pressure to move communications off-platform right away, for example to WhatsApp, Telegram, or external forms.
• A free or lookalike email address. Indeed says most companies use an email address that ends in their official website and to be careful with free addresses like Gmail or Yahoo. Scammers also register addresses with small spelling changes or extra characters in the company name.
• A different job from the one you applied for. Indeed calls this a "bait and switch" and says to check that any offer is for the same job you applied to.
• Vague task language. The FTC says task scams often use buzzwords like "product boosting" or "app optimization."
• A follow-up link asking for personal data. LinkedIn advises caution with application follow-ups that send you to a link for more questions, especially ones that ask for your Social Security number.

Job scam texts on WhatsApp, Telegram, or "from Indeed"

A message out of nowhere offering you remote work, when you never applied for anything, is the classic start of a task scam. The FTC says these scams typically start with an unexpected text or WhatsApp message offering online work with no specifics, and its advice is to ignore generic, unexpected job texts and WhatsApp messages because real employers will never contact you that way.

A newer version skips the link. In April 2026 the FTC warned about fake recruiters who claim to be with real companies you might know, offer a "remote position" or an "online assessor" job, mention daily or weekly pay without any details about the work, and ask you to reply "YES" or "INTERESTED." Do not reply. Once they have your attention, the FTC says, they push you toward a fake check or a task scam.

Indeed's help page on text scams lists the numbers and sender name Indeed uses for texts. Reminders and notifications come from the short codes 36666, 56666, and 463333, or from a verified sender named "Indeed - Employer & Interview Updates" with a blue checkmark. Login security codes can also come from 22395 and 78156, which other companies share. Indeed says to trust only messages from its official short codes or its verified sender, and to block and report any other number claiming to be Indeed.

A text pushing you to fix your Indeed account within a time limit is another scam tactic Indeed lists; it says you can only change your account at Indeed.com or in its app.

Real employers can still text you about a job you applied to. Indeed says employers may call or text you only if you shared your number in your application, and that Indeed does not share your contact details with employers. So a text about a specific application you sent can be real, while a generic, unexpected text offering you a job you never applied for is the kind the FTC says real employers never send. Keeping a list of the jobs you applied to makes this easy to check.

Do not reply or click any link. Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), which the FTC says helps your wireless provider spot and block similar messages, then block the number. If the scammer has already added you to a group chat full of people posting their "earnings," the FTC says that is part of the playbook: those success stories come from fake workers.

How to check if a job listing or recruiter is real

A listing on a real job board can still be fake, and scammers often borrow a real company's name. Before you share anything personal, check the job outside the conversation:

• Find the same job on the company's own careers page. The FBI advises verifying postings from networking and third-party sites on the hiring company's own website or through its real HR staff.
• Search the company name on its own. The FBI notes that several websites for one company, such as abccompany.com and abccompanyllc.com, can point to fraudulent listings.
• Search the company or recruiter's name with the words "scam," "review," or "complaint," as the FTC suggests. No complaints does not prove a company is honest, but complaints can warn you off.
• Contact the company through the phone number or email on its website, not the details in the message, and ask if the recruiter works there.

On LinkedIn, some job posts carry a Job Post Verification Badge. LinkedIn's job search safety page says it means information about the company or the job poster is verified through LinkedIn or its trusted third-party partners. The badge is about the company or the poster, so still refuse any request for money.

When it is safe to give your Social Security number and bank details

Scammers may ask for your Social Security number and bank details "for payroll." The FTC warns that if you gave personal information to a scam job thinking it was for payroll, you may now have an identity theft problem. The official advice on timing is worded differently by each source:

• LinkedIn: never share your Social Security number, bank or credit card details, passport or driver's license copies, or any form of payment before receiving a legitimate job offer.
• FBI: "Legitimate companies will ask for PII and bank account information for payroll purposes AFTER hiring employees."
• Indeed: never send your driver's license, credit reports, banking details, or Social Security information before you have talked with someone through verified channels. Indeed adds that real employers won't ask for sensitive financial information early in the hiring process.

Indeed's wording leaves the most room, because a scammer can still talk to you before asking. Follow the stricter rule from LinkedIn and the FBI: wait for a real job offer from a company you have confirmed on its own website, and give these details through its official hiring process. The FBI says never to give an employer your credit card number.

What to do if you already paid or shared personal information

Stop all contact right away and keep every message and receipt, then work through what applies to you.

If you sent money. The FTC says to contact the company you used to send it immediately, report the fraud, and ask to have the transaction reversed, however you paid:

• Zelle or a bank transfer: report it to your bank or credit union.
• Other payment apps: report it to the app itself.
• Gift cards: call the issuer using the number on the back of the card, tell them a scammer got the card number and PIN, and keep the card and receipt.
• Crypto: contact the exchange or ATM operator right away. The FTC warns that crypto payments do not have the same legal protections as cards, so the money can be hard to get back.

If you deposited a check. Stop sending any money from it. Indeed's advice for anyone who lost money or shared bank details is to contact your bank. The FTC says fake checks can take weeks to be discovered, and you are the one who has to repay the bank.

If you gave your Social Security number. The FTC says to go to IdentityTheft.gov to report it if the scammer used it, and to IdentityTheft.gov/databreach if they did not or you are not sure. Then place a credit freeze with all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. According to the FTC, a freeze stops anyone from opening a new credit account in your name, costs nothing, and does not affect your credit score. Indeed also suggests reporting unemployment insurance fraud if someone filed for unemployment in your name.

If you shared a password or logged in through their link. Change the password for that account and turn on two-factor authentication.

Report it. File a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and with the FBI at ic3.gov. The FTC says you can also report to your state attorney general. Indeed suggests calling your local police or cybercrime division, and you can report the listing itself on the job site where you found it, as described above.