Job-seekers are increasingly falling prey to job scams that promise high pay for simple online tasks, particularly through messages from supposed recruiters. According to the Federal Trade Commission, reported losses from these scams surged more than threefold from 2020 to 2023, with a record of over $220 million lost in the first half of 2024 alone. Gamified job scams have become particularly prevalent, reporting 20,000 cases in early 2024 compared to 5,000 in all of 2023. Many victims do not report scams, with only a small percentage filing complaints about their experiences.
"Most of the people who end up losing money to a scammer are behaving pretty rationally. Scammers are sophisticated, and they keep changing their tactics."
"Reported losses to job scams increased more than threefold from 2020 to 2023. In the first half of 2024, they topped $220 million, according to the FTC."
"Gamified job scams, or task scams, represented a significant portion of that growth. About 20,000 people reported experiencing gamified scams in the first part of 2024."
"The scam typically begins with an unexpected text or WhatsApp message from a 'recruiter' offering online work, according to the FTC."
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