Employment Scams Are Soaring
A recent Axios article reveals a sobering truth: employment scams are now the No. 1 form of fraud reported by Americans between the ages of 20 and 29, according to FTC data. And they’re rapidly rising across all age groups. These scams often start with a fake job post with a seemingly harmless listing that leads to identity theft, financial loss, and emotional harm.
Socure, a digital ID verification firm, reports that job fraud jumped a staggering 118% in just one year.
The FTC reports a 3X increase in incidents reported between 2020 and 2024 with a monetary loss increasing over 5X.
Full Infographic Available from the FTC: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/images/csn-scammy-snapshot-2024.png
Why is this happening?
Because fake job postings are flooding the internet — and there's no law requiring employers or job boards to ensure those listings are real.
That’s where the Truth in Job Advertising and Accountability Act (TJAAA) comes in.
The TJAAA: A Line of Defense for Job Seekers
The TJAAA would be the first federal legislation to explicitly prohibit the posting of deceptive, expired, or fictitious job ads — the kind that scammers use to:
Harvest personal data under the guise of a job application
Trick victims into handing over banking information, SSNs, or even money
Exploit trust by impersonating reputable employers
Under the TJAAA, any party posting a job, including employers, third-party agencies, and online platforms, would be legally obligated to disclose whether a position is actively being filled, and to remove outdated or fraudulent listings. It also empowers the Department of Labor to investigate and penalize violators, including foreign actors.
Why It Matters
Employment scams aren’t just criminal — they erode public trust in the hiring process and inflict lasting harm on job seekers, especially those most vulnerable: recent grads, the unemployed, and immigrants.
Every fake job post dilutes the credibility of legitimate opportunities. Every identity stolen is a life upended.
We need to close the legal gap that scammers are exploiting.
Take Action
Congress has the power to stop this — but they need to hear from you.
Sign the petition at www.truthinjobads.org
Share your story
Contact your representatives
Let’s make fake job listings — and the criminals behind them — a thing of the past.
