Scammers are posting job listings on the same sites trusted employers are. What might seem like a normal application process can actually be handing over personal information (like a social security number) to a cybercriminal. Another scam consists of an applicant seemingly moving through an application process and required to pay upfront for equipment, onboarding, or a background check only to never hear back. Meanwhile, the applicant has provide a scammer with personal information and the requested funds.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself while job hunting:

• Look for red flags on job postings. Poor grammar or suspicious email formatting may be a sign the job listing could be fake. You can often check directly on a company’s website to confirm if there is a specific job posting. Do some research on a company before an interview or before sharing sensitive personal information. If a job listing seems too good to be true, chances are, it is. For example, jobs with extremely high pay with little to no experience required should raise a red flag.
• Be skeptical if you receive an unusual request. If you are asked to provide payment for training, equipment, or onboarding, chances are the job listing is not legitimate. Scammers may request bank or other sensitive information from you prior to you even sending an offer letter.
• Review your emails carefully before clicking on links and responding. If you are searching on a job site, you may be applying to a multitude of jobs. This is ample opportunity for scammers to get your information via phishing emails and messages. Do not click on suspicious links and always check sender email addresses for anything that may seem abnormal. On LinkedIn, always click on someone’s account and company to verify legitimacy.

If you think you have shared too much information with a suspicious job positing, monitor your identity for signs of fraud.

An ID Protection plan can do the monitoring for you, alert you if your data has been compromised, and help keep you protected.

¹New FTC Data Show a Big Jump in Reported Losses to Fraud to $12.5 Billion in 2024. Federal Trade Commission. www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/03/new-ftc-data-show-big-jump-reported-losses-fraud-125-billion-2024, May 10, 2025.