Scammers are coming for laid-off tech workers

Losses from job scams totaled $250m in the first three quarters of 2022.

Olivia Heller

Nothing beats getting laid off during an economic downturn, finally being offered a job interview, then learning that the interview is actually an elaborate internet scam.

Job fraudsters are luring laid-off workers into offering up money or sensitive personal information with phony companies, job postings, websites, and interviews, per The Wall Street Journal.

  • Many of those being targeted are unemployed tech workers. The broader tech industry experienced a jump in layoffs throughout 2022, totaling ~154k, and has already seen 21k+ layoffs this year, according to Layoffs.fyi.
  • LinkedIn claims it blocked 20m+ fake accounts in the first half of 2022, up 33% from 2021.

The volume and economic impact of these scams have skyrocketed. In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission reported US workers lost more than $209m from job opportunity fraud, up from $118m in 2018.

In just the first three quarters of 2022, workers lost $250m.

Get the 5-minute roundup you’ll actually read in your inbox​

Business and tech news in 5 minutes or less​

RECENT POSTS

Psst

How'd Bezos build a billion dollar empire?

In 1994, Jeff Bezos discovered a shocking stat: Internet usage grew 2,300% per year.

Data shows where markets are headed.

And that’s why we built Trends — to show you up-and-coming market opportunities about to explode. Interested?