Special Edition: What the Research Really Says About Job Scams and Ghost Jobs

The Evidence File

This week, instead of chasing headlines, we’re following the evidence: the surveys, legal analyses, and consumer-fraud data shaping what job seekers should understand about job scams, recruitment fraud, task scams, and ghost jobs.

The picture is sobering. Some scams are clearly criminal. Some “ghost jobs” sit in a murkier zone. But both can waste time, harvest data, and erode trust in the hiring process. (Consumer Advice)

Job seekers are not imagining the confusion. U.S. regulators say reports and losses tied to job scams have surged, while hiring-platform and survey data suggest ghost jobs are common enough to shape how candidates experience the market. In other words, the job search is being distorted from two sides: outright fraud and misleading hiring theater. (Consumer Advice)

Special Edition: The Evidence File

1. FTC data shows job scams have become far more expensive

The FTC says reports about job scams tripled from 2020 to 2024, while reported losses rose from $90 million to $501 million over that span. The agency also reported that losses topped $220 million in just the first half of 2024, showing how quickly the problem accelerated. (Consumer Advice)

2. Task scams are now a major driver of job-scam losses

One of the biggest shifts is the rise of “task scams,” in which people are asked to complete simple online tasks, such as boosting products or optimizing apps. FTC data says reports of these scams went from essentially zero in 2020 to about 5,000 in 2023, then to roughly 20,000 in the first half of 2024 alone. The FTC estimated that task scams accounted for 38.8% of job scam reports in the first half of 2024. (Federal Trade Commission)

3. Ghost jobs are showing up in platform data, not just in job-seeker complaints

Greenhouse reported that, in any given quarter, 18% to 22% of jobs posted on its platform were classified as ghost jobs, and three in five candidates said they suspected they had encountered one. That matters because it suggests ghost jobs are not just a social-media talking point; they are measurable enough to show up in hiring-platform research. (greenhouse.com)

4. A 2024 academic paper estimated ghost jobs could be as high as 21%

In a 2024 paper using Glassdoor data and an LLM-BERT method, researcher Hunter Ng found that up to 21% of job ads may be ghost jobs, with the pattern appearing more often in specialized industries and larger firms. The paper argues ghost jobs may also distort labor-market signals and contribute to job-search fatigue.

5. ResumeBuilder’s hiring-manager survey points to intentional deception

ResumeBuilder reported in June 2024 that it surveyed 1,641 hiring managers and found 40% said their company had posted a fake job listing in the prior year, while 3 in 10 said their companies currently had active fake listings. Even more troubling, among companies that contacted applicants for fake jobs, 85% said candidates were interviewed. (ResumeBuilder.com)

6. The legal debate around ghost jobs is getting more serious

A recent Columbia Law Review piece argues ghost jobs are not just annoying or unethical; they may implicate consumer-protection law because applicants exchange sensitive personal data for what they reasonably believe is a genuine opportunity. The piece argues ghost jobs can create privacy harms, facilitate identity-theft risk, and distort economic data used by policymakers. (Columbia Law Review)

7. Canada’s anti-fraud warnings show the same scam playbook

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns about classic job-fraud patterns including counterfeit-check schemes and crypto-based “boosting” or online task scams. In its guidance, it notes scammers contact people through text, WhatsApp, email, or Messenger, often after resumes are posted online, and then use the names of real companies to pitch fake freelance work. (antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca)

8. In Canada, employment scams remain one of the riskiest scam categories

BBB’s 2024 Canada Risk Report says employment scams were the No. 2 riskiest scam type in Canada, with a median reported loss of CAN$2,500. The same report also found that employment scams were the riskiest type of scam for men in Canada.

9. In the U.S., BBB still ranks employment scams among the riskiest

BBB’s 2024 U.S. Scam Tracker Risk Report says employment scams remained the No. 2 riskiest scam type in the U.S., with a median dollar loss of $1,500, and they accounted for more than 14% of reported scams in the dataset. The report also found that 36.2% of people who reported employment scams said the lure of flexible work-from-home arrangements was the top reason they engaged.

Why this special edition matters

The evidence points to a distinction job seekers need to understand. Job scams are plainly fraudulent: fake checks, fake work-from-home offers, task scams, identity harvesting, and payment demands. Ghost jobs are different: often posted by real employers, sometimes defended as pipeline-building or optics, but still harmful when there is no real intent to hire. Both damage job seekers, but in different ways. (antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca)

The practical takeaway is this: candidates should treat every opportunity as something to verify, not merely something to hope for. The research now supports what many frustrated job seekers have felt for years: some listings are scams, some are theater, and both can drain time, morale, money, and personal data. (Consumer Advice)

Who Scammers Are Targeting Now: Military, Students, and Federal Workers

Scammers rarely attack randomly. They target groups at moments of transition—when people are changing careers, entering the workforce, or suddenly searching for work.

Over the past year, several warnings and reports from regulators, universities, and veteran organizations show that three groups are increasingly in the crosshairs: military service members and veterans, college students, and federal employees.

Here’s what the latest research and alerts show.

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Military and Veterans: Transition Periods Are Prime Targets

When service members transition to civilian life, they often look for flexible or remote work. Unfortunately, scammers know this.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued guidance warning that job scammers frequently target military members and spouses with fake job offers promising remote work, high pay, or “veteran-preferred” hiring. In many cases, scammers reach out directly by text or social media before shifting the conversation to encrypted messaging apps.

Veteran organizations have also issued alerts about employment scams involving:

• Fake equipment purchases for remote jobs

• Counterfeit check schemes

• Requests for sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers or bank accounts

These scams exploit trust in recognizable company names and patriotic messaging aimed at veterans.

The takeaway: Transitioning service members should verify employers independently before sharing personal information or accepting remote job offers.

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Students and Universities: Fake Internships and Campus Impersonation

Students entering the workforce face another growing threat: fake internships and campus job scams.

Over the past year, multiple universities have warned students about phishing emails and fraudulent job postings that impersonate employers, professors, or career services offices.

In many cases, scammers:

• Send job offers through university email systems

• Pose as professors offering research assistant roles

• Advertise flexible remote jobs with unusually high pay

After students respond, scammers may request personal information or ask them to purchase equipment with a counterfeit check.

Regulators warn that legitimate employers rarely hire students immediately through unsolicited messages, especially when money or personal financial information is involved.

The takeaway: Students should confirm job opportunities through official company websites or campus career offices before responding.

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Federal Workers: A New Scam Target

Large-scale layoffs and workforce reductions create another opportunity scammers exploit.

Reports in 2025 warned that federal workers—especially those suddenly entering the job market—could become attractive targets for job scams. Criminals may impersonate government agencies, contractors, or recruiters claiming to help workers transition into private-sector roles.

In some cases, scammers mimic official federal hiring communications or send emails resembling messages from government job portals.

Federal job seekers should remember:

• Government jobs are applied for through official platforms such as USAJOBS

• Legitimate government employers never charge fees to apply or secure employment

• Official communication should come from verified government domains

The takeaway: Any request for payment, personal financial information, or off-platform communication is a major red flag.

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Why These Groups Are Targeted

Military members, students, and federal workers share something in common: they are often navigating major career transitions.

Scammers thrive in moments when people are:

• searching urgently for work

• unfamiliar with hiring norms in a new field

• trusting of institutions or recognizable brands

That combination creates the perfect conditions for fraud.

Which is why verification is no longer optional.

Below are the two additional sections you asked for, written to fit smoothly into your special research edition of The Job Scam Report. They follow the same tone and structure as the earlier section so you can insert them directly into the newsletter.

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The Psychology of Job Scam Targeting

Scammers rarely cast a wide net and hope for random victims. Instead, they study moments when people are most vulnerable to opportunity.

Job scams work because they exploit a powerful combination of urgency, hope, and trust.

Researchers and fraud investigators consistently point to several psychological triggers scammers use:

1. Transitional Moments

Scammers target people who are entering or re-entering the workforce—students graduating, military members transitioning to civilian life, or workers laid off from stable jobs.

In these moments, people are more likely to respond quickly to opportunities that promise stability.

2. Authority and Institutional Trust

Fraudsters often impersonate well-known companies, universities, or government agencies because people instinctively trust recognizable institutions.

A fake email appearing to come from a university professor, government recruiter, or major corporation lowers skepticism.

3. Financial Relief

Many scams promise what job seekers most want:

• Remote work

• Flexible schedules

• Fast hiring

• High pay

These promises are carefully designed to short-circuit skepticism.

4. Isolation in the Hiring Process

Modern hiring increasingly happens through online messaging, text, or chat-based interviews, which makes impersonation easier.

Without face-to-face verification, scammers can convincingly play the role of recruiters or hiring managers.

5. Data Harvesting as the Real Goal

Sometimes scammers aren’t even trying to steal money immediately. Instead, they harvest personal information—resumes, addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers—that can be used for identity theft or future scams.

The result is a job market where the appearance of opportunity can be manipulated at scale.

That’s why job seekers must move from a mindset of hope to verification.

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5 Verification Steps for Any Job Opportunity

Before responding to a job offer, sharing personal information, or attending an interview, take a few minutes to verify the opportunity.

These steps can prevent most job scams. There’s more. But I want to always leave practical steps for spotting and avoiding job scams:

1. Verify the Company Website

Search for the company independently and navigate to the official website.

If the job does not appear on the company’s careers page, investigate further.

Scammers frequently create lookalike domains that differ by only one letter.

2. Check the Recruiter’s Identity

Search the recruiter’s name on professional networks and the company website.

Warning signs include:

• Very new profiles

• Few professional connections

• Generic photos or stock images

3. Confirm the Company Exists

Look up the company through:

• Secretary of State business records

• LinkedIn company pages with employees listed

• Established business directories

Fake companies often lack any credible digital footprint.

4. Watch for Payment Requests

Legitimate employers do not require payment for:

• background checks

• training

• equipment purchases

• application processing

Any request for payment is a major red flag.

5. Be Skeptical of Chat-Only Interviews

Many scams rely on interviews conducted exclusively through messaging platforms.

Real employers almost always conduct interviews through video or phone calls with identifiable staff members.

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These simple checks take only a few minutes but can protect your identity, finances, and career path.

In today’s hiring environment, verification is no longer optional—it’s essential.

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What the Research Still Gets Wrong About Job Scams and Ghost Jobs

The growing body of research on job scams, recruitment fraud, and ghost jobs validated what job seekers suspected for years. Fraud is rising, losses are real, and the hiring process is often distorted by misleading or deceptive practices.

In creating “The Job Scam Report,” I felt the job market had become fake. I sensed the shift. Noticed it had become a cesspool of illusions. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for job postings to differentiate between ghost jobs and actual opportunities. Just so we there’s a chance to spot and avoid fake jobs, the distinction shouldn’t cost job seekers time or money.

The FTC reported losses to job scams rose from $90 million in 2020 to $501 million in 2024, while reports of task-style job scams surged sharply in 2023 and 2024. Separately, Greenhouse reported ghost jobs accounted for roughly 18% to 22% of jobs on its platform in a given quarter, and an academic working paper estimated that up to 21% of job ads may be ghost jobs.

The research is good, but it still misses what matters to job seekers.

Too much of the research separates scams from ghost jobs too neatly.
Task scams and money muling are criminal. A ghost job is usually posted by a real employer are not monitored for fraud. But for the job seeker, both can produce the same downstream harm: wasted time, false hope, emotional exhaustion, and unnecessary exposure of personal information.

Many studies measure prevalence better than harm.
The numbers don’t provide real-time data or a roadmap for research on the total cost to job seekers. Money lost is only one category. There is also time lost, identity exposure, résumé harvesting, and often layoff fatigue. Job seekers do not know whether silence means rejection, disorganization, or deception. The FTC’s loss figures are valuable, but not informative or thorough enough to lead to obvious solutions.

Some research relies on definitions that are still unsettled.
“Ghost job” sounds precise but encompasses several distinct behaviors: evergreen postings, pipeline-building, hiring freezes after posting, internal-only roles, and compliance postings. These jobs are not engaged by candidates once they apply accept for a receipt for applying. The Hunter Ng paper has merit, but only as commentary.

Employer motives are sometimes described too generously.
Reporting explains ghost jobs as administrative drift, talent pooling, or brand signaling. The intent is likely for real companies. But from the candidate’s side, intent matters less than effect.

If an employer posts an evergreen role (one they continuously hire for), public transparency is not evident to job seekers. The Columbia Law Review argument is important here because it reframes the question from “Why did the employer post it?” to “What harm did the posting cause?”

Research often underplays data harvesting.
Fake jobs are often categorized as either money scams or candidate-experience issues. But it’s the extraction of personal data. A fake job application can include all essential assets, even Social Security numbers or banking information.

The Columbia Law Review argues ghost jobs can function as a new form of sensitive-data harvesting. However, FTC warnings about job scams repeatedly stress scammers seek both money and personal information.

The responsibility of platforms remains underexplored.
Much of the public guidance tells job seekers to be more careful, and advice is necessary. But research still does not spend enough time on the role of job boards, hiring platforms, applicant-tracking systems, and employer workflows in keeping bad listings visible.

Greenhouse’s report is notable precisely because it acknowledges ghost jobs as a measurable phenomenon on the platform rather than dismissing them as user paranoia. That should open the door to tougher questions about verification, stale-pos

Just a slight tangent…

In many studies on job scams, ghost jobs, and recruitment fraud, the most important insight is often buried deep in the report.

Researchers focus on methodology, definitions, and data classification. Those are important. But the practical warning signs—the red flags job seekers need to protect themselves—sometimes get lost in the academic framing.

A study may spend pages debating how to define a ghost job or whether an employer intended to hire. Meanwhile, job seekers are left asking a simpler question:

“What should I look for before I apply?”

The research does not always distinguish between candidate frustration and market distortion.
Ghost jobs are not only a morale problem for job seekers, candidates, and employees. The arXiv paper argues they may distort labor-market signals and even help explain disconnects in job-openings data. That matters because policymakers, journalists, economists, and workers all rely on hiring data to understand whether the labor market is healthy. If a meaningful share of listings are not truly active, then “openings” may say less about real demand than many assume.

Finally, the research still lags behind the evolution of scams.
The FTC’s recent spotlight on task scams shows how quickly the fraud landscape changes. In 2023, job seekers thought of employment scams as fake checks or reshipping schemes. Regulators warn about the dangers of gamified “task” work, crypto payments, messaging-app interviews, and professionally staged impersonation by recruiters. Timely studies are tip-offs for scammers with shifting tactics. Just think about the quarterback who calls audibles at the line of scrimmage.

The better conclusion

We’re all witnessing a hiring market containing criminal and institutional deception. The line between them is not always clear from the applicant’s view. FTC data proves the financial harm is large and growing, while legal and academic work suggests repercussions are serious.

The research is useful, but it still tends to count incidents more easily than it explains damage. Job seekers do not just lose money; they also lose time, trust, data, momentum, and sometimes their belief that the hiring process is operating in good faith.

Job seekers also lose their most important asset: their personal information. They must be the most shrewd guardian of their data.

It’s responsible. Not an obsession.

Clarify.
Verify.
Don’t just apply.

Vet everything and everyone. Today’s modern job search requires a safe, strategic, and well-informed approach.

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