Employment scams — already a massive problem — will likely worsen as thousands of fired federal employees create a growing pool of prospective targets.
Scammers know these workers and others displaced by federal government cuts will be desperate to find work quickly, and the trauma of their sudden displacement from civil service makes them a prime target.
But the broader problem has been growing for years. According to the Federal Trade Commission, job and fake employment agency scams have nearly tripled from 2020 to 2024, with consumers losing $501 million, up from $90 million. Meanwhile, the number of reports jumped from 38,000 to 105,000, making it one of the top forms of fraud last year, the FTC reported recently.
Nearly every week, I get a random text offering me an employment opportunity.
“Several online recruiting firms have recommended your resume,’’ said one recent text. “After an initial review of your resume, we have decided to invite you for an interview for the Information Systems Manager position … you can earn $50 to $500 a day if you want.’’
It was clearly a fraudulent phishing attempt — not only do I lack any experience in information systems, but my husband likes to joke that I’m a Luddite.
But what if your background or the promised pay makes the job position sound enticing?
That was the dilemma for one semiretired Washington state woman who was hunting for a position through LinkedIn.
“I have a good background in transcribing, and the job was of high interest to me, purportedly for the Blinded Department of Veterans Affairs,’’ she said in an interview, asking that I not disclose her name for privacy reasons.
An “Edward Mueller,’’ who claimed to be from the nonprofit, offered her a remote transcriptionist job. “Your skills and experience align perfectly with the requirements of this role, and we believe you will be a valuable asset to our team,’’ according to an email the applicant received.
There was even the promise of a $250 training bonus.
The job looked perfect, she said: “It touched my heart because my family has veterans, and my husband’s a vet.’’
The email also told her she would have to purchase some expensive equipment and provide banking information for her pay.
But something seemed off. The process was moving too fast, and she couldn’t find Mueller’s online profile.
“I didn’t feel comfortable not having at least a phone call or one-on-one interaction,’’ she said. “Even though the BVA checked out as a good 501(c)(3), something didn’t seem right to me with the correspondence and hiring process.’’
So she called the Blinded Veterans Association to verify Mueller’s identity.
Her suspicions were correct: It was a bogus job offer. No one by the name worked for the organization.
Although this job seeker didn’t lose any money, the scammer still has some of her personal information.
The swindle was so widespread on various employment sites that it forced the organization to post a scam alert on its website and social media accounts, as well as record a warning message on its telephone system.
According to Donald Overton, the BVA’s national executive director, the nonprofit heard from hundreds of applicants —“easily 500 to 700.’’ Many were told they could earn $45 an hour. The organization doesn’t even have transcriptionists, he said.
It’s likely the scammer or team of con artists were trying to steal personal information and/or steal money through various ways, including getting applicants to pay for equipment that would have never been delivered.
“This was so disgusting and predatory,’’ Overton said in an interview. The schemers, he added, even improved their techniques between the time they started posting the fake transcription job in November 2024 to a few months ago.
For example, rudimentary emails riddled with typos were elevated to very professional-looking communications with the organization’s logo and spoofed email addresses. I suspect artificial intelligence helped.
Before you accept a job offer, the FTC recommends you take these steps to avoid being scammed.
►Try to verify the listing. Check if the company is legitimate. If it is, call them. Be sure to search for the contact information independently. Don’t use the number provided by the so-called recruiter. But also remember that even online sleuthing may still not work. Scammers will steal people’s online profiles to impersonate government officials or company employees.
►Use AI to search for fake job offers. I typed this question into ChatGPT: Have there been job scams connected to the Blinded Veterans Association? The answer came back with a “yes.’’
►Don’t pay for a job. If you are asked for money to get the job or to purchase equipment, your default assumption should be it’s a scam.
►Don’t take a check. One common trick involves the scammer sending you a check to pay for equipment. But the amount is more than needed, so you are told to cash it, keep what you need, and return the remaining amount or buy a gift card to reimburse them. The check might clear initially but later will prove to be fraudulent. The crook has the money and you become responsible for paying the bank back.
If you lose money or have had your information stolen you should report it to the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov) and to your state attorney general as well as alerting your financial institution.
If you were conned into sharing your personal information, place a credit freeze — also known as a security freeze — on your credit reports. This prevents swindlers from accessing your credit report without your permission, making it harder for them to take out loans or open credit cards in your name. To be effective, you must request a freeze at each credit bureau — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
A credit freeze is free, so if you’re being asked to pay, you’ve been directed to some premium credit or fraud alert product.
I know these tips are essential to pass along, but it makes me angry that we have to do so much work. Nobody should feel like they must become a private detective to get a job.
Overton said the 12-person staff at the association decided to communicate directly with all the applicants involved in the scam, either by calling them, returning their calls or messaging them online.
“We didn’t want anyone to feel abandoned by us,’’ Overton said. “We wanted them to know we cared about them and that were very sorry they were experiencing this. A lot of folks are dealing with this more than there are legitimate jobs out there.’’
Michelle Singletary can be reached at michelle.singletary @washpost.com.
