The U.S. labor market is witnessing an unprecedented wave of job-related scams this year. A new report by McAfee revealed that these schemes surged by more than 1000% between May and the end of July, making them the fastest-growing type of fraud during this period.
According to a survey conducted by the company in May, nearly one in three Americans (31%) received a fake job offer via text message, while 45% said they had personally experienced a job scam or knew someone who had.
A troubled job market
This surge comes as U.S. Department of Labor data shows a notable slowdown in hiring. The economy added fewer jobs than expected in August, and previous growth estimates turned out to be overstated.
For the first time since April 2021, the number of unemployed Americans has surpassed available job openings. Rising layoffs are creating a perfect environment for scammers to exploit desperate job seekers.
Scam tactics
McAfee analyzed scam patterns across texts, emails, and websites between May and July, finding text messages to be the most common channel. Fraudsters often impersonate recruiters or HR staff to gain victims’ trust before requesting personal or banking information, or demanding upfront payments for fake tests and background checks.
Examples cited in the report include impersonations of job platforms like Indeed and Glassdoor, or major companies such as Amazon and YouTube. Victims are lured with offers of flexible, high-paying, no-experience jobs under the slogan “work from anywhere.”
Email scams rose 60% between June and July, while fake job website scams increased 10% in July alone.
Wider fraud trends
These findings align with data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has reported rising fraud cases across the board in 2025. Identity theft via credit cards rose 36% between late 2024 and Q2 2025.
The FTC also reported that consumers lost more than $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase from the previous year, with job scams among the fastest-growing categories.
Expert warnings
McAfee’s report concluded:“The data paints a clear picture: fraud is escalating across multiple categories, with scammers deploying smarter tactics. Whether it’s a fake job offer, a false tech alert, or a suspicious loan message, the risk is rising, and the need for proactive protection is greater than ever.”
The report added:“Job scams don’t just flood inboxes—they undermine trust in the hiring process itself, targeting people in vulnerable moments and turning the search for opportunity into a new risk.”
Experts warn that advances in artificial intelligence will further intensify these risks. A July report by Moody’s highlighted how AI now enables fraudsters to auto-generate fake identities and bypass traditional detection systems, making defense efforts more difficult.