Why You Are Getting So Many Fake Job Offers By Text

Your phone might be inundated with texts offering you a job these days. However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says many of those job offers aren’t from legitimate companies - they are from scammers. Many people have already lost millions to these text job scams and the fraud, the FTC says, is on the rise. Consumers reported losing $14.8 million in 2023, a figure that jumped to $61.2 million in 2024. Some experts say people are more vulnerable to job scams during uncertain times like these, when a wave of job cuts draws widespread attention and recession fears make the economy feel increasingly unstable. Watch the video above to learn how the job market and economic uncertainty fuel the rise of text job scams and how to protect yourself. Chapters: 0:00: Introduction 1:58: Chapter 1 - The rise of text job scams 5:06: Chapter 2 - The job market 9:54: Chapter 3 - How to protect yourself Produced by: Anuz Thapa Edited by: Darren Geeter Narration by: Jordan Smith Additional Narration by: Devan Burris, Merritt Enright, Christian Nunley Senior Director of Video: Lindsey Jacobson Graphics by: Jason Reginato, Mithra Krishnan Additional Footage: Getty Images