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How to spot a scam job offer before fall hiring picks up

Many companies hire workers in August, September, and October to have some extra help during the holidays. While autumn can be a great time to find some steady work or part-time supplementary income, it’s also fraught with scam job offers.

Fraudsters who post phony job opportunities are getting more creative as remote work becomes more popular. shares some tips to help you stay savvy if you’re sending your resumes around this fall.

First, What Is a Scam Job Offer?

A scam job offer involves fraudsters (hiding behind a fake name) contacting job seekers and offering a fake position. They may claim to be hiring managers at real, legitimate companies. Their ultimate goal is usually to gain money or personal information, the latter of which they may auction off on the dark web.

Scam job offers increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more companies shifted to telework. The Federal Trade Commission estimated that Americans lost at least in connection with scam job offers and applications in 2024.

5 Telltale Signs of a Scam Job Offer

At some point during the “hiring” process, many scam job offers exhibit one or more of the following characteristics. The FTC describes all kinds of different —work-from-home job scams, fake job ads, fake check scams, and more. While the nature of scams can vary, they all tend to have one thing in common: They seem too good to be true.

If you spot one of these or another sign that makes you suspect you’re dealing with a scammer, be sure to report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) using its .

1. The ‘employer’ asks for money or gives a check.

Most scammers are after people’s money, so a lot of them cut right to the chase and make up some excuse for job seekers to send money. Fraudsters might claim the money is for a background check, credit check, or work equipment.

A common job scam involves scammers sending fake checks to people for reimbursement after they purchase equipment. The suppliers end up being the fraudsters themselves. By the time the fake check bounces, the job seekers have already spent their own money on the scam equipment. Be sure to never accept or send money before accepting a job.

2. The application has no identifying information.

Any legitimate job application or offer comes with ample identifying information. If neither your first nor second message from a hiring manager answers the most basic question—like who they are—don’t waste your time.

At the very least, you can use a to verify the sender’s identity or other details they’ve shared with you or a to ensure their phone number matches the company they claim to represent.

3. The ‘hiring manager’ guarantees you will make a lot of money.

Nothing gets the attention of job seekers like the promise of big money. Scammers have to overcompensate for the lack of detail in fake job postings by making big promises and using lots of exclamation points. If the job posting sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

4. The hiring process takes place on encrypted channels.

Encrypted communication tools like Signal and WhatsApp make sense in many contexts, but the hiring process is not one of them. Just as end-to-end encryption is useful for protecting message contents, it can also make it harder for fraudsters to get caught.

The hiring process for nearly every legitimate job opportunity goes through official channels and usually involves emails from the employer’s official email.

5. You get an offer without having applied for a job.

Real companies don’t waste time and money hiring and onboarding new employees before they’ve had a chance to vet them. Receiving an offer without having had an interview or any prior contact with a company is one of the surest red flags.

Final Thoughts: Stay Aware During the 2025 Hiring Season

Getting attention from a prospective employer is flattering, but scam job offers are common enough to warrant at least a little skepticism anytime you receive a message out of the blue.

Some legitimate positions—and offers—might have things in common with the five characteristics we just listed. More often than not, though, they’re a sign that a scammer has selected you as a target.

Fortunately, verifying job details through a company’s official channels and doing a little online research is often enough to yield answers about questionable communications.

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