Job scams are one of the fastest-growing frauds

Watch for the core red flags: any request for money or payment details up front, offers from personal or misspelled email domains, unrealistic pay for simple work, manufactured urgency, early requests for your SSN or bank information, and a hiring process that stays entirely on a chat app. One flag warrants caution; several together almost always mean a scam.

No. A legitimate employer never asks you to pay for training, equipment, background checks, or “starter” funds — and never asks you to buy gift cards or send cryptocurrency. If money is flowing from you to a supposed employer, it is a scam.

Not early on. Sensitive details like your Social Security number and bank information are only needed after you've been formally hired and have signed official paperwork with a verified company. Anyone requesting them before a real interview or signed offer is a major warning sign.

Remote work is completely legitimate, but scammers exploit its popularity because it's harder to verify a physical workplace. Apply the same diligence: verify the company, insist on a real interview, and never pay to start.

Stop all contact and stop sending money. Contact your bank or payment provider immediately to try to reverse or freeze transactions. Change any passwords you shared, and if you gave up your SSN, consider a credit freeze. Then report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI IC3 at ic3.gov.

A scam is fraudulent — it exists to steal your money or data. A ghost job is a real-looking listing for a role that isn't actively being filled (kept up for pipelines, market research, or simply forgotten). Ghost jobs waste your time; scams cause real harm. Both are reasons to verify before you invest effort.

JobzMall combines AI-assisted listing checks, company-verification signals, direct sourcing from employers' official career pages where available, and community reporting. No system catches everything, which is why we also invest in education — this Safety Center, our Scam Directory, and the Legit or Scam game — so you can protect yourself anywhere.

In the U.S., report to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Reporting improves the data investigators and researchers rely on and can help disrupt the operation targeting others.

Yes. JobzMall is a legitimate, US-based company and the world's largest video-first talent marketplace, bridging the gap between hiring organizations and great talent. This Job Safety Center, our Scam Directory, and the Legit or Scam game are all part of our commitment to helping people search for work safely.

It's a free, browser-based training game from JobzMall. You're shown real-world-style job offers, recruiter DMs, and text messages, and you decide whether each one is legit or a scam — building the instincts to recognize fraud under pressure. It's quick to play, and it pairs with our Scam Directory and this Safety Center as part of our job-safety education toolkit.