How to Prevent Job Scams in 2025: Protect Your Brand and Candidates
Most people would never suspect that more than one-third of job postings they see online could be fake—yet that’s exactly what’s happening. According to Forbes, an alarming 36% of job advertisements are fraudulent, created by scammers who have mastered the art of impersonating legitimate companies. As more businesses move their recruitment online and embrace remote work, opportunistic fraudsters have followed suit, creating sophisticated schemes that hook both job seekers and employers alike. For companies, these scams go far beyond simple annoyance—they pose a serious risk to brand reputation, security, and the trust of both current and potential employees.
The Surge in Job Scams
Job scams are on the rise. CNBC reports that job-related fraud increased by 118% last year alone. The rise of AI has given scammers a wealth of tools, such as Gen AI to convincingly impersonate real companies and deceive job seekers into sharing personal information or even paying undue fees as part of the hiring process. Duped jobseekers blame the brand for being impersonated, and as a result, the threat to your brand’s reputation is more significant than ever.
The Usual Suspects
Job scams come in various forms, but some tactics are more common than others. Fake job ads often serve as the entry point for unsuspecting job seekers. These postings lure candidates with offers that seem too good to be true—promising high pay, flexible hours, remote work options, or lucrative benefits. However, the goal is far from legitimate.
Scammers may request personal information, payment for “training” sessions, or upfront fees for items like work equipment, only to disappear once they’ve achieved their aim. In some cases, the stolen information is sold to malicious data brokers or shared on the Dark Web, creating long-term consequences for victims. Beyond harming individuals, these scams can severely damage a company’s reputation, eroding trust among potential applicants and casting doubt on the legitimacy of future job postings. For businesses, combating these schemes is vital to maintaining brand integrity and fostering a positive candidate experience. Let’s look at common types of job scams as a starting point.
Fake Job Ads
Simply put, if it’s too good to be true – it isn’t. Malicious actors often post open positions that appear very attractive—high-paying positions with flexible hours, remote work options and/or excellent benefits. These ads may ask for personal information, payment for “training,” or even upfront fees for supposed work equipment. The goal is to either trick the applicant into paying money or to steal their personal information, and later be sold to malicious data brokers or on the Dark Web. As a brand, this tarnishes your reputation and could discourage future applicants.
Interview Scams
Scammers have been known to go a step further, engaging job seekers in what seems like a legitimate interview process, conducted via text, email, or video. After a convincing interview, the scammer sends an offer that requests personal details—such as credit card information—or demands payment for a supposed background check or company equipment deposit. When your brand’s name is used in these scams, it undermines customer trust.
Work-from-Home Scams
With the rise of remote work, scammers have exploited the growing demand for flexible job opportunities by advertising fraudulent “work-from-home” positions. These schemes are often promoted as paid ads on search engines and typically involve payment requests, such as training fees or HR-related costs (like visa processing). Scammers also use these tactics to collect personal information, which is later sold or used for identity theft.
W-2 Scams
In these phishing-type scams, scammers impersonate companies, often creating convincing replicas of company careers pages and using real HR personnel names scraped from LinkedIn, specifically to steal personal information from applicants. This information is often used for tax fraud, identity theft, or sold to third parties.
The scam typically unfolds in stages: First, candidates receive a promising job offer that seems legitimate. Then comes an urgent request for W-2 information, supposedly to “process payroll” or “verify employment eligibility.
Ghost Jobs
Occasionally business intelligence organizations post fake jobs to collect resumes for future hiring needs or to “test the water” for interest in a role. While ghost jobs may not immediately seem as damaging as other scams, they still cause frustration among job seekers, wasting their time and creating a sense of mistrust in your brand.
Blackmail Scams
One of the most insidious forms of job scams involves scammers using personal or sensitive information—often gathered from social media—to extort money from their victims. The scammer threatens to release this information unless the victim pays a ransom. In the context of job recruitment, this can happen when candidates reveal personal details during the interview process.
The Role of AI
One of the most concerning trends is how scammers have leveraged AI to improve and scale their operations. Using generative AI, scammers can now craft extremely convincing and tailored job postings that appear legitimate in record time. They can build professional-looking websites, often in a matter of hours, making it extremely difficult to differentiate between genuine recruitment efforts and fake ones.
How to Protect Your Brand and Candidates
While job seekers are often the immediate victims, your brand often becomes the unintended victim of these scams. Protecting your company and your applicants requires a proactive approach.
Do Your Due Diligence
Continuously monitor hiring forums and social media to make sure job postings under your company’s name are legitimate. Communicate to those in legitimate hiring processes to keep a close eye on the domains used in job ads and email addresses communicating with them. Scammers are adept at domain-squatting, using similar URLs to impersonate your company. Regular audits of your online presence and a keen eye on potential fake listings will help protect your brand.
Communicate Transparently
Effective communication with job candidates can be your most powerful defense. Clearly outline your hiring process, specifying the types of information you might request and emphasizing that your company will never ask for payments or personal details like social security numbers upfront. Post guidelines on your website to educate applicants on the signs of a scam, such as requests for payment, personal information, or suspicious interview practices.
Implement Strong Security Protocols
Make sure your recruitment process is secure. Implement strong email verification, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all online recruitment platforms, and use only common encrypted communication channels such as Zoom for interviews.
Partner with a well-established Brand Protection Provider
One of the most effective ways to safeguard your company’s reputation is by partnering with an experienced online brand protection solution. These professionals specialize in identifying and mitigating fraudulent activity targeting your brand, including fake job postings, and phishing schemes. A brand protection provider that combines managed services with robust technology is ideal, as they can monitor job boards, social media, app stores and the dark web simultaneously for impersonation efforts. They can also help you develop a strategy for rapid response when scams are detected.
Stay Proactive, Stay Secure
Job scams in 2024 proved to be more advanced and more common than ever before, but with the right tools, strategies, and vigilance, your company can avoid being caught in the crossfire heading into the future. The fight against job scams isn’t just about security—it’s about preserving the integrity of your hiring process and the trust that candidates place in your brand. By investing in a brand protection solution, regularly monitoring your hiring platforms, and educating both partnering recruiters and in-process applicants, you can help maintain and protect your company’s reputation.
