High population states are more at risk for these schemes
May 1, 2025
- Nevada, Florida and Georgia are the three worst states for job scams.
- North Dakota, South Dakota and Vermont have the fewest reports of job scams per million people.
- Job scams have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars, but there are telltalesigns to avoid the scams.
Residents of some states are getting harassed by job scams much more than in other states.
Job scammers are often targeting residents in states with high populations and high unemployment rates, according to an analysis by Privacy Journal, which reviewed data from the Federal Trade Commission and reports per one million people in 2024.
Nevada is the worst state for job scams, with around 452 reports per 1 million people, followed by Florida (385), Georgia (377), Utah (361) and Arizona (360).
On the other hand, North Dakota had the fewest job scam reports per million people, with around 147, followed by South Dakota (150), Vermont (156), Maine (167) and Iowa (175).
Job scams are the third-most reported type of fraud and losses totaled $751 million in 2024,the FTC said.
Some states have seen losses accelerate much faster.
For instance, North Dakota and South Dakota ranked the lowest for job scam reports, but ranked at the top for having the biggest jump in losses from 2022 to 2024, Privacy Journal said.
What are job scams?
Job scams work by sending a fake job posting, usually via text message or email, to trick people into turning over personal or financial information.
Eventually, job scammers can ask for payment, often through cryptocurrency, that is needed to start a job.
But Privacy Journal said there are signs of job scams to watch out for:
- Quickly offering employment without any due procedures, like an actual job application or interview.
- Providing vague wordings in the job offer.
- Offering high pay for minimal work or entry-level experience.
- Asking you to pay for something, such as supplies, certifications or training.
- Requesting personal details like your bank account information, ID or social security number.
- Lacking an online presence, such as a professional website or official social media account.
- Displaying unprofessional levels of communication or online presence. For example, a fake company site or job description may be full of spelling and grammatical errors.
- Providing URLs that display http:// instead of https://.
- Communicating through messaging apps like WhatsApp.
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