What the numbers say
Two federal agencies publish job scam data. They count different things, so the figures differ, but both rise every year.
The FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network took in 3 million fraud reports with $15.9 billion in losses in 2025, up from 2.6 million reports and more than $12 billion in 2024 (FTC testimony to the Joint Economic Committee, March 25, 2026). The latest full-year FTC figure for job scams alone is for 2024: reports of job and employment agency scams tripled from 2020 to 2024, and losses rose from $90 million to $501 million. The wider "business and job opportunities" category lost $750.6 million in 2024, up nearly $250 million from 2023 and third among all fraud categories (FTC press release, March 10, 2025).
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) counts complaints filed with it. Its 2025 Internet Crime Report lists 24,688 employment fraud complaints and $362.9 million in losses, up from 20,044 complaints and $264.2 million in 2024 and from 15,443 complaints and $70.2 million in 2023. Of the 2025 complaints, 10,338 involved cryptocurrency, with $288.2 million in losses (FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report).
Job scam numbers by source and year
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| Measure | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported losses, job and employment agency scams | $501 million, up from $90 million in 2020 | 2024 | FTC press release, March 10, 2025 |
| Reported losses, business and job opportunities | $750.6 million | 2024 | FTC press release, March 10, 2025 |
| All fraud reports and losses | 3 million reports; $15.9 billion | 2025 | FTC testimony, March 25, 2026 |
| Job or business opportunity scams that began on social media | 1 in 3 reports with a money loss | 2025 | FTC data spotlight, April 27, 2026 |
| Task scam reports | About 5,000 in 2023; about 20,000 in the first half of 2024 | 2023 to mid-2024 | FTC data spotlight, December 12, 2024 |
| Employment fraud complaints and losses | 24,688 complaints; $362.9 million | 2025 | FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report |
| Employment complaints involving cryptocurrency | 10,338 complaints; $288.2 million | 2025 | FBI IC3, 2025 report, cryptocurrency section |
Where the first contact happens
Every age group is hit. IC3 received the most employment fraud complaints in 2025 from people aged 30 to 39, and the largest losses, $100.9 million, from ages 50 to 59 (FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report).
A text message was the most common first contact in 2025 fraud reports, and social media produced the largest losses, more than $2 billion in fiscal 2025 (FTC testimony, March 25, 2026). One in three people who lost money to a job or business opportunity scam in 2025 said it started on social media (FTC data spotlight, April 27, 2026).
The warning signs the FTC lists
Each sign comes from an FTC consumer page. One is enough to slow down. Two are enough to stop.
- The offer came to you first. "Scams often start with a text, call, or an ad or message on social media" (FTC, Job Scams topic page, 2026). Texts that ask you to reply "YES" or "INTERESTED" are a 2026 pattern; a reply lets the scammer engage you (FTC consumer alert, April 30, 2026).
- Big pay for little work. Such offers are "almost certainly a scam" (FTC, Job Scams article, March 2023).
- Hiring happens only in a chat app. Of job messages on WhatsApp, Telegram and text: "Real employers will never contact you that way" (FTC consumer alert, August 14, 2025).
- You must pay something. "No legitimate gig will make you pay for expenses, training, or anything else to get the job" (FTC consumer alert, February 24, 2026). Starter kits, certifications, placement fees and equipment deposits all count.
- A check arrives before you start. Sending part of it back or buying gift cards is a fake check scam; the check bounces and you owe the bank (FTC consumer alert, June 24, 2025).
- The job is receiving and forwarding packages. "Reshipping goods is never a real job" (FTC, Job Scams article, March 2023).
- The job is rating or "boosting" products in an app. That is a task scam, and the next step is a deposit (FTC consumer alert, August 14, 2025). Full timeline: task scams explained.
- Pressure to decide today. Legitimate employers give you time (FTC consumer alert, February 24, 2026).
- They want your bank account or Social Security number before a real offer. That is what the scam is for (FTC consumer alert, February 24, 2026).
- The email domain does not match the company's. Conduent, for example, states it "only uses conduent.com for email communications" (careers.conduent.com, October 2026). How to check a domain in one minute: how to check if a job is real.
One newer sign: IC3 reports voice spoofing and possible deepfakes in online job interviews, with almost $13 million lost to AI-involved employment scams in 2025 (FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report).
The three scripts
- The task job. "Product boosting" clicks, small payouts, then a deposit. Nearly 40 percent of job scam reports in the first half of 2024 (FTC data spotlight, December 12, 2024).
- The fake check or reshipping job. A "nanny" or "assistant" role where a check arrives early, or boxes arrive for you to forward (FTC, Job Scams article, March 2023).
- The pay-to-get-hired job. Fees for a kit, training, a certificate or a background check (FTC consumer alert, June 24, 2025).
What to do if you paid or shared information
The FTC's guide "What to do if you were scammed" (June 2026) gives steps by payment type. Card: contact the issuer or bank at once and ask for a refund. Bank transfer or Zelle: ask your bank to reverse it. Wire service, payment app or gift card: report it to the company and ask for a refund. Cryptocurrency: contact the exchange or ATM operator; "Cryptocurrency payments don't have the same legal protections as credit and debit cards do." If you shared a Social Security number, use IdentityTheft.gov.
Then report it: ReportFraud.ftc.gov for the FTC, ic3.gov for the FBI, and your state attorney general, an option the FTC lists on its Job Scams page. Find your office through the National Association of Attorneys General.
Expect a second scam. IC3 says it "does not work with non-law enforcement entities to recover lost funds" and never asks for money. It counted 10,516 recovery scam complaints with $1.4 billion in losses in 2025 (FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report).
How this changes your search
Real openings have a source you can open. Every card on JobPin shows the provider's posted date, a "last seen" date and a link to the source listing; the site states that a recent timestamp is a signal, not a guarantee (jobpin.net/about, October 2026). How the dates work: what "hiring now" labels mean and how JobPin verifies listings. If a listing promises daily pay, check how the employer really pays: jobs with weekly pay. For remote work, start with employers whose own pages describe the job: remote customer service jobs with no experience.
Current openings
See remote jobs and customer service jobs nationwide, or by city: customer service jobs in Dallas and remote jobs in New York. Each card links to its source listing.
Source-linked openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Open the source link on the card and find the same job on the employer's own careers site. Check that the company name, pay and location match. Never pay to apply, to train or to receive equipment. Do not move the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram, and do not deposit a check from an employer you have not met.
How JobPin dates and sources listings: How JobPin verifies listings and events. Report a listing.