10 Types of Employment Scams and Tips to Protect Yourself

Finding the perfect job is not a walk in the park. There are lowballers and lengthy hiring processes.

But what’s more stressful is that scammers are preying on job-seekers, offering really enticing jobs only to steal your money and information.

The top 10 types of job scams are: Reshipping Job Scam, Fake Interviews, Fake Staffing Agency, Social Media Recruitment, Game Task Scam, Fake Government Job, Employment Certification Scam, Mystery Shopper Job Scam, Fake Career Consultants, and Envelope Stuffing Job Scam.

From reshipping gigs to mysterious crypto exchanges, job scams are as creative as they are cunning. We’ll talk about 10 employment scams – detailing how they work, red flags to look out for, and how to protect yourself.

Reshipping job scams are where scammers post enticing job offers, where you’ll be tasked to reship goods.

Once hired, you’ll receive packages that you’ll have to repackage and send to other locations. Often, the products are high-quality and expensive, bought by scammers using stolen credit cards.

Some get paid for the first month of work; some don’t.

Red Flags:

• promise easy, high-paying work with little to no effort.
• request personal or financial information upfront
• products you’re shipping may seem suspicious.

How to Prevent:

• Avoid jobs that promise quick cash for minimal effort.
• If the job sounds too good to be true, it is.
• Always research the company or employer

This job scam is where scammers pose as legitimate employers to schedule fake interviews over email or chat.

During the interview, the fake employer will ask for your personal information, including your banking details under the guise of processing payment. Some will also require you to pay for background checks or training materials.

Red Flags:

• An interview offer without applying for the job.
• overly fast hiring process.
• Pressure to provide your details or make payments.

How to Prevent:

• Always research the company before agreeing to an interview.
• DON’T pay for background checks or materials

Scammers pretend to be legitimate fake staffing agencies and will promise to find you a job.

But in exchange, they’ll require you to pay for stuff like registration, training, or other “necessary” expenses.

Once you pay, they’ll disappear quickly, leaving you without a job.

Red Flags:

• Upfront fees.
• Generic or vague job listings
• Can’t find a verifiable office location for the agency.

How to Prevent:

• Only work with well-known, established staffing agencies.
• Verify the agency by checking online reviews.
• Be wary of job offers requiring payment before employment.

Scammers use social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) to promote fake job openings, often for appointment setter positions.

They create fake profiles or hijack legitimate pages to advertise attractive salaries. To make their offers more enticing, they’ll promise "instant" hiring but they’ll ask you to pay for training.

Red Flags:

• Job offers with little to no formal interview process.
• The offer is too perfect to be true.
• Urgency to apply quickly.

How to Prevent:

• Use trusted job boards
• Research any job posting by checking the company’s official channels.
• Never give out your personal information too easily.

This scam is aimed at gamers. Scammers will offer gamified tasks like testing games or completing in-game challenges.

However, they’ll require you to pay for training, “exclusive” access, or the tools to complete the tasks.

Red Flags:

• Promise of quick, easy money with no skill required.
• Upfront fees
• Requests for sensitive information.

How to Prevent:

• Always be skeptical of job offers from unverified sources
• Research the company before applying.
• Don’t pay for tools or training to get a job.

Scammers pretend to be from the government and post job postings, promising lucrative positions.

However, they’ll ask for your sensitive personal information or fees to secure insider help or for background checks or application processing.

Red Flags:

• Unofficial source or uses a suspicious email address.
• Requires to pay fees for things like application processing.

How to Prevent:

• Always apply for government jobs directly through official government websites (e.g. usajobs.gov/).

Scammers will offer you enticing jobs but will require you to take certification programs they recommend.

They ask for a fee to enroll. Either you’ll receive a useless certificate or none at all.

Red Flags:

• The certificate offers vague or general credentials
• Pressure to pay for a certificate to secure a job.

How to Prevent:

• Only take certifications from recognized, reputable institutions.
• Verify that the certification will actually help your career by checking online reviews.

Here, scammers will offer you a mystery shopper role. Your duties include evaluating stores and services.

But to get hired, you’ll be asked to pay for "training" or they’ll send you fake checks that will bounce.

Red Flags:

• Payment requirement for training materials
• Deposit checks which bounce.
• Promise of reimbursement that will never come.

How to Prevent:

• Don’t pay upfront.
• Stick to a reputable company
• Don’t cash or deposit checks from unknown sources.

In this scheme, scammers pose as legitimate career consultants, offering services that will help you improve your resume and land a job easily.

But you’ll have to pay for that service. When you pay, either you’ll receive worthless assistance or none at all, with scammers running away with your money.

Red Flags:

• Upfront fee for services that should be free.
• Their "success rate" is vague.
• They don't provide real testimonials.

How to Prevent:

• Be cautious of consultants requiring large upfront fees.
• Only trust career professionals with positive reviews and a track record of success.

This scam promises an easy job position where you’ll be stuffing envelopes for companies at home.

But the supposed employers will ask you to pay for materials needed for envelope stuffing.

Red Flags:

• Required payment for materials or "enrollment" fees.
• Vague job description that lacks concrete details.

How to Prevent:

• Remember that legitimate envelope-stuffing jobs are rare.
• Always avoid any job requiring money upfront
• Only look for positions that don’t involve paying to work.

Overall, there are different types of job scams.

So, in the game of job hunting, knowledge is your best defense.

Stay vigilant, always verify job offers, and trust your instincts.

Lastly, remember that a legitimate job won't ask for upfront fees or sensitive personal information.

What are the most common types of scams?

The most common types of include: 1) advance fee fraud, 2) Online shopping scams, 3) romance or dating scams, 4) lottery scams, 5) job scams, 6) small business scams, 7) banking scams, 8) charity scams, 9) gambling scams, and 10) account takeover or computer hacking scams.

How to check if a job offer is not a scam?

You can know if a job offer is a scam by checking suspicious details about the company, directly contacting the company, looking for red flags like upfront fees, reviewing contacts before accepting the job, researching online for reviews, asking for references, and trusting your instincts.