AI technology is being used more to scam online job seekers. Here's what to watch out for

Unpredictability in the workforce has spiked the popularity of online job boards. This comes with an increase in scams targeted at job seekers.

Platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed have built in fraud detection software that acts as a defense to scammers, but many slip through the cracks. LinkedIn says its defenses stopped 97% of fake accounts in 2025.

Jeff Bump is a video and graphic designer living in Phoenix, and was looking for remote design work online when he was finally offered a remote position in spring 2026.

“I looked him up on his company and he had a profile and everything. ... And then as we got into it, he said, well, we're going to get you a laptop to work from for our company. I was like, OK, that's fine," Bump said. "And then he was like take this picture that I scanned of a check and put it into your account."

Bump’s experience was not an unusual one. After going through an interview process and being hired, fraudulent companies will often send candidates a check to pay for remote work equipment.

Once cashed through a mobile app or ATM, the checks from these employers show up in the candidate's bank accounts and bounce, putting the victim at a financial loss. A study conducted by Dynata found that on average victims lost $8,900 due to job scams.

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"So I kind of had to work my way back into workforce and take a little time, and unfortunately the economy hasn't been exactly easy," Bump said.

Scammers often impersonate real businesses and organizations to fly under the radar, like in Bump's case. Lois Greisman, associate director of marketing practices at the Federal Trade Commission, said this practice can do significant harm.

"Impersonation of government or businesses is the No. 1 complaint to the Federal Trade Commission. And it has been for years. So yes, impersonate Microsoft, Amazon, UPS, every single bank in the country, you name it." Greisman said.

Scam postings on online job boards may have the names of real businesses, employees or available positions, making them hard to differentiate.

“You're taking advantage of people who are already kind of having a tough time. You know, people are looking for work and it's pretty tight out there, but everyone knows that. Why, why are you trying to scan people who are already struggling?" Bump said.

Developments in AI technology have allowed scammers to use people's faces and voices to trick online job seekers. Greisman said a seemingly real phone call or online interview could be completely artificial.

"You don’t know if the voice calling you is a real voice or not a real voice. My team here cloned my voice with my permission and they didn't get it directly from me. They just went online and found a recording of my voice, and it was darn good," Greisman said.

Laila Bera, program associate with the Aspen Institute's Financial Security Program, said improvements in AI technology have effectively streamlined scam operations.

"Then also because of AI being a more effective way for outreach, it actually does have an impact on the human labor part of the scam operation," Bera said. "So which means that if AI tools can make outreach quicker, easier, faster for these criminal organizations to victims."

Another way to is to report suspicious offers to law enforcement agencies such as the FTC.

"That is our goal. Shut down the operation if it is permeated with fraud and preserve assets so that we can provide some monetary relief back to harmed consumers," Greisman said.

Major red flags to look out for include a company requesting up-front payments or personal bank information. Do not accept any checks from a prospective employer and beware of offers with a number of grammatical or spelling errors. A lack of an interview or an unreasonably high salary can all indicate a potential scam.

"Knowledge of scams is power. And that's why a lot of our consumer ed says, here are the telltale signs,” Greisman said.

If you are a victim of a fake check scam, stop all communication with the scammers, and contact your bank to freeze remaining funds. You should report the scam to the FTC and notify the online job board where the scam took place.