Scammers Target Job Seekers
FBI and LinkedIn collaborate to educate applicants
The FBI and LinkedIn recently joined forces to teach the public about employment scams disguised as legitimate opportunities.
Employment fraud is generally defined as a scheme to deceive someone into believing they have been, or could soon be, hired for a job.
"Job seekers are uniquely vulnerable—not because they lack judgement but because they're operating in an environment where urgency and opportunity are constant," said Rebecca L. Keithley, assistant section chief of the Financial Crimes Section in the FBI's Criminal Division. "The goal isn't just to respond after someone becomes a victim but to help people recognize the warning signs early enough to avoid the scam entirely."
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with more than 1.3 billion members in over 200 countries and regions worldwide. According to the company, people submit roughly 10,000 job applications every minute.
LinkedIn has a robust system to screen out scammers, said Oscar Rodriguez, vice president of trust at LinkedIn. The company uses automated processes and human oversight to protect members.
LinkedIn's efforts are highly effective: 98.7% of detected spam and scam content is removed by automated defenses before it's seen by members, and 99.5% of detected fake accounts are stopped proactively, according to the company.
In addition, LinkedIn has a verification system that shows—with an icon—that certain information has been confirmed, giving members more confidence in the authenticity of the people, companies, recruiters, and candidates they engage with on the platform.
"Trust is really at the core of everything we do at LinkedIn," Rodriguez said. "The shift we're seeing now is that bad actors are becoming more sophisticated."
At LinkedIn, the clearest indicator a job offer might not be legitimate is if the recruiter or company representative tries to move the conversation off LinkedIn's messaging platform to circumvent the platform's built-in protections and reporting tools.
Technology like artificial intelligence makes detection harder. "It makes it cheaper, faster, and more scalable to pretend to be someone you are not," Rodriguez said.
"This is not a problem that any one company can solve on its own."
- Oscar Rodriguez, vice president of trust, LinkedIn
In 2025, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 24,688 reports of victimization to an employment scam, with nearly $363 million in reported losses. Employment fraud ranks 10th in terms of both the number of complaints and estimated losses reported to the IC3.
Arming consumers with knowledge can help reduce those numbers.
"The most effective disruption point isn't after the loss, it's before the first step," Keithley said. "Employment scams have evolved into structured pathways into exploitation, where individuals are used to move money, provide identities, or even perform labor under coercion.
"The FBI's partnership with LinkedIn is about disrupting that system at its entry point by giving job seekers the tools to recognize an attempted employment scam before they become part of it."
But not all employment scams are about bilking the victim out of money, according to the FBI’s Financial Crimes Section.
Most employment scams are run for one of three primary reasons: to find people to act as money mules, to find people to help steal others' personally identifiable information, and to force people into labor.
A money mule is someone who is tricked into moving or laundering stolen money under the guise of a legitimate job. Scammers target victims by using a legitimate-sounding job title such as "cryptocurrency transaction specialist," "accounts receivable assistant," "remote financial coordinator," and "payment processing agent."
The "employer" puts money in the victim’s bank account, often using a peer-to-peer payment applications. Victims are told to withdraw money; convert it into cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency; and then transfer it elsewhere to earn a small commission.
The moved money is almost always from scammed victims or compromised accounts.
Victims themselves can face legal consequences for their involvement, as well as having their accounts closed and their funds seized.
Employment fraud for stealing personally identifiable information is executed in a similar way. The job is framed as something legitimate, such as "onboarding specialist," "HR assistant," "compliance reviewer," or "know your customer/identity verification agent."
After being "hired," victims:
- collect identity documents from "customers"
- receive and forward files
- verify accounts by logging into portals or handling one-time codes
- open accounts or submit applications
- repackage data into spreadsheets or upload it to a shared drive
Instead of moving stolen money, the victim is helping to harvest stolen identities.
The third common employment scam is used as a gateway into human trafficking, especially forced labor and online scam operations, according to the Financial Crimes Section.
Victims are lured by the offer of working abroad or from home. After accepting a job, they are required to travel, often internationally; Southeast Asia is a known hotspot. The recruiter may pay for flights or the visa.
When the victim arrives, their passport is confiscated, and they are told they have to repay their travel costs. They are forced to work in scam compounds where they must message scam targets.
Forced-labor victims are monitored, threatened, and/or physically abused if they fail to meet their scamming quotas. In many cases, they become coerced perpetrators, running scams under duress.
"Some of these scammers don’t just take money, they take control. What starts as a job offer can end in coercion, isolation, and forced criminal activity," Keithley said. "We’re confronting industrial-scale fraud operations where trafficked individuals are forced to perpetrate scams under coercion and abuse. It's exploitation layered on top of exploitation."
Most scams have red flags that should deter cautious applicants, and LinkedIn highlights indicators on its platform.
According to the FBI’s Financial Crimes Section, there are certain red flags associated with the different scams. If you encounter any of these, be aware that the job may possibly be a scam. Always do your own research if you are interested in a company.
Human trafficking/forced labor
employment scams
- The job offers high pay for vague duties, especially overseas.
- The employer insists on quick relocation.
- Employer controls or “assists” with all travel logistics.
- Contracts are vague or change after arrival.
- Communication shifts to encrypted apps early.
- Employees are told not to involve family or others.
Money mule employment scams
- New hires asked to use personal bank account for business transactions.
- The company refuses to use normal payroll systems.
- Employees are told to move money quickly or keep things “confidential”
Wages are tied to moving money, not doing actual work. - Workers are asked to open new accounts or use cryptocurrency and/or gift cards.
Stolen PII employment scams
- New hires are asked to handle IDs or Social Security numbers as a contractor without a real human relations compliance infrastructure in place.
- Files are sent via email, Telegram, WhatsApp, Google Drive links, and the like.
- New employees are told to verify identities manually instead of using a formal system.
- The company can’t clearly explain why the new hire needs access to others’ PII.
- Employees are pressured to move fast or bypass normal safeguards.
The FBI and LinkedIn hope this information will reduce scams and increase trust.
"You want people to be equipped with how you stay safe but also be open to opportunities," Rodriguez said.
If you believe you're the victim of a scam, contact your financial institution immediately. You should also file a report at ic3.gov and provide as many details as possible.
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