KIYC: Employment scams on the rise, according to Better Business Bureau
Employment scams are not new, but the Better Business Bureau says there are more victims than ever, and new ways the scammers are getting money out of them. Walt Kane has the story in this Kane In Your Corner.
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A new spin on an old scam is increasing, with more and more victims reporting lost funds each year.
Scammers are sending unsolicited job offers via text message and offering money for simple tasks. As Kane In Your Corner has reported over the years, a lot of people have fallen prey to these offers only to find out later that they were being scammed.
“I've got to say, 'hook, line and sinker,' I was there,” says Steven Gogerty.
He says he was taken in by a secret shopper scam.
Lonna Vaughn says she fell for a work-from-home scam.
“I was excited about it,” says Vaughn, “I was.”
New research from the Better Business Bureau shows these scams are becoming more and more common.
“Employment scams are always high on our list,” says Claire Rosenzweig, of BBB Metro New York, "But what we found is task optimization scams—those are skyrocketing.”
Reports of task-oriented scams went up from 11,748 incidents in 2024 to 23,234 in 2025. That’s an increase of 98% in just one year.
The BBB says these scams tend to work one of two ways. The scammers may simply get you to supply your bank account information – and then clean out your account. Or they tell you that you can make even more money if you put out some cash. Either way, they say, you lose.
“There are some terrible stories,” says Rosenzweig. “You look at BBB scam tracker, and you can see stories of people who have lost thousands upon thousands of dollars.”
The BBB says there are some red flags to watch out for. For example, beware of any unsolicited job offer, especially one that comes in by text. Also, don’t get fooled by high pay for simple work, such as liking videos. Always avoid upfront costs. It shouldn’t cost you money to get paid. And if a so-called job recruiter starts using high-pressure tactics on you, hang up immediately.
“There's always that fear of missing out,” says Rosenzweig. “Big red flag—anybody who's pressuring you, walk the other way.”
