Unpredictability in the workforce has spiked the popularity of online job boards. This comes with an increase in scams targeted at job seekers.
Platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed have built in fraud detection software that acts as a defense to scammers, but many slip through the cracks. LinkedIn says its defenses stopped 97% of fake accounts in 2025.
Jeff Bump is a video and graphic designer living in Phoenix, and was looking for remote design work online when he was finally offered a remote position in spring 2026.
“I looked him up on his company and he had a profile and everything. ... And then as we got into it, he said, well, we're going to get you a laptop to work from for our company. I was like, OK, that's fine," Bump said. "And then he was like take this picture that I scanned of a check and put it into your account."
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