Fake job ads are everywhere. The scammers behind them want your money, your identity or your bank account

The ad looks harmless. Flexible hours. Work from your phone. Hundreds of dollars a day for “simple online tasks”. No experience needed.

It is one of the most common scams in Australia, and one of the fastest to adapt. Australians lost about $24 million to job and employment scams in 2025, Scamwatch figures show, and reports roughly doubled. Losses have fallen in 2026, down by almost half in the first nine months of the year to about $9.6 million, but the ads have not gone away: they have moved to wherever job seekers are scrolling.

Young people are the main target. Scamwatch received 837 job scam reports from people aged 24 and under in 2025, up from 361 the year before. Reports that started with a text message rose from 63 to 315.

What are the scammers actually after?

Not your work. A fake job ad is a hook for one of four things.

Your money, a little at a time. The “employer” asks for a fee before you start: form processing, a uniform, training, equipment, a background check. One young Perth man paid $345 for “form processing” and was then asked for $450 for work clothes.

Your money, a lot at once. In so-called task scams, you are paid small amounts for clicking, rating products or liking videos, so the job feels real. Then you are told you must deposit your own money, often in cryptocurrency, to unlock bigger tasks or withdraw your earnings. The deposits grow, and the money never comes back. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission says task scam reports went from almost none in 2020 to about 20,000 in the first half of 2024.

Your identity. Scammers ask for your tax file number, licence, passport, Medicare card and bank details “for payroll”. Those details can be used to open accounts, take out loans or commit fraud in your name.

Your bank account. Some “jobs” are payment processing, money transfer or reshipping roles. You receive money or parcels and pass them on. In reality you are a money mule, moving stolen funds for criminals. The Commonwealth Bank warns that knowingly letting someone use your account is a criminal offence, and banks can freeze or close accounts used this way.

Who is behind them?

Increasingly, organised crime. Most job scams now come from organised networks, many based in scam compounds overseas. Some job ads are also used to lure people abroad: the United Nations has reported that hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into scam centres in South-East Asia, many after answering offers of well-paid work.

The ads are getting more convincing. Australia’s consumer watchdog, the ACCC, says scammers are increasingly using polished, professional-looking online content, and artificial intelligence now makes fake recruiters, company websites and even video interviews cheap to produce.

How do you spot a fake job ad?

Treat any of these as a warning sign:

• Pay that is far above normal for little or no skill or effort.
• A job offer with no proper interview, or an interview only by text or chat app.
• Contact out of the blue by text, WhatsApp, Telegram or social media from a “recruiter” you never applied to.
• Any request to pay money first: fees, uniforms, training, equipment, or a deposit to “unlock” pay.
• Payment requested by bank transfer, PayID, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
• Requests for identity documents before you have a genuine, written offer.
• Work that involves receiving money or parcels and sending them on.
• Pressure to decide quickly.

WA’s consumer protection agency puts it simply: legitimate employers do not ask for payment to secure a position.

What should you do if you have been caught?

Stop all payments and contact your bank immediately: the faster you act, the better the chance of stopping money moving. Report the scam to Scamwatch, and report the ad or account to the platform where you found it. If you have handed over identity documents, contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free help to protect your identity. If you think your bank account has been used to move money, tell your bank straight away.