Survey: U.S. Workers Growing Skeptical of Job Scams

A recent survey finds that job scams are becoming commonplace in the employment search, helping to make job seekers more skeptical of recruiter outreach.

Based on a poll of 884 U.S. workers, Monster’s new 2026 Job Scam Report found nearly all respondents (95%) saying they have encountered a suspicious job offer. An even larger number (98%) said that today’s job market increases vulnerability to scams.

More than half (5%) report being directly targeted by a job scam attempt, with email (65%), text (63%) and unsolicited recruiter outreach (56%) being the most common channels. Forty-eight percent of survey participants say they are now skeptical of most job outreach they receive.

Among job seekers who have encountered fraudulent job outreach, 63% said they were contacted by text or chat only. More than half (57%) indicated they were offered a job without a real interview, and 57% were given promises of “high pay for minimal work,” according to Monster.

Fifty-one percent said they noticed poor grammar or suspicious email addresses, with 43% saying the recruiters contacting them could not clearly identify the hiring company.

The survey findings should serve as a warning sign for employers looking for top talent, Melissa Barker, vice president of practice development with Phoenix-based recruitment firm The Duffy Group, recently told PSHRA.

“AI can be a useful tool in streamlining recruiting, but it should not replace the human connection,” said Barker, whose expertise is in recruiting for government and public sector organizations.

“To establish legitimacy and build trust with job seekers, recruiters and hiring leaders should provide a point of contact who can answer questions and pique candidates’ interest in the opportunity,” said Barker, who also advises calling candidates rather than relying solely on emails or text messages.

“After all,” she said, “we want candidates to know the people behind the position and engage them in a conversation.”

Barker suggests providing specifics about the opportunity as well.

“The more generic the outreach, the more suspicious the opportunity may appear to candidates. When the City’s name is used in outreach, it gives the candidate the opportunity to verify the solicitation’s legitimacy, too.”

Finally, she urges sharing job openings in the government agency’s brochures and website.

“Even when working with an external recruiting firm,” said Barker, “most government agencies share job openings in these ways, which gives candidates confidence that the opportunities are legitimate.”