BBB warning job seekers of surge in employment scams

The BBB and the BBB Community Partnership Foundation are warning job seekers about a sharp rise in employment scams across North America, especially “task-based” scams that promise easy money for liking videos, subscribing to channels, or completing simple online tasks.

According to BBB’s latest study, reports of employment scams doubled in 2025 compared to the previous year, with more than 23,000 reports already submitted to BBB Scam Tracker. Many victims reported losing significant amounts of money after fraudsters impersonated well-known companies and communicating primarily through text messages.

The new BBB International Investigations Initiative study, “Employment Scams Soar, ‘Video Boosters’ Left Unpaid, and Education Needs are Paramount,” highlights how scammers are evolving their tactics and why awareness is more important than ever.

Key findings from the study include:

• More than 600 reports involved “task-based” employment scams.
• Half of all employment scam reports in 2025 began through text messages.
• Median reported losses remain high at $1,000.
• Victims are often promised high pay for simple online tasks

BBB reminds consumers to watch for these common red flags:

• Unsolicited job offers.
• Jobs offered without an interview.
• Employers refusing to appear on camera.
• Requests to pay fees or taxes before receiving earnings.
• Jobs paying people to like, subscribe to, or watch videos online.
• Pressure to accept a position immediately

BBB encourages job seekers to:

• Research companies carefully before applying.
• Verify job postings on official company websites.
• Never pay money to receive wages or “unlock” earnings.
• Be cautious of opportunities that sound too good to be true.
• Use video interviews whenever possible.

Consumers can report scams at BBB Scam Tracker at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker and learn more about employment scams and other fraud trends at BBB Scam Studies at https://www.bbb.org/scamstudies.