Too good to be true? Job scams on the rise as finance, IT, and healthcare sectors become prime targets

A new report from Heimdal has revealed jobseekers across the world are being targeted by scams exploiting individuals looking for work in sectors such as finance, IT, and healthcare.

Based on an analysis of over 2,670 social media posts and comments from victims in 2023 and 2024, the report highlights the common tactics used by scammers, the industries most affected, and the emotional toll these scams take on their victims.

The finance and IT sectors are the most targeted by job scams, with 35.45% and 30.43% of reported cases, respectively, with Healthcare accounting for 15.41% of incidents.

These industries, especially those offering remote positions, have become prime targets for fraudsters, the report says, with nearly half (43%) of scam-related posts involved remote jobs, compared to 42% for on-site roles and 15% for hybrid positions.

High-value roles such as managers and entry-level candidates are also heavily targeted as 35% of scams are directed at managers while 34% point towards entry-level job seekers. These roles are particularly attractive to scammers because of the volume of candidates and the appeal of potentially lucrative job offers.

Several tactics are commonly used by scammers to defraud unsuspecting victims, but suspicious contact information is the most frequent red flag, representing 41.1% of cases. Unrealistic salary offers (25.7%) and misleading job descriptions (10.6%) are also used to lure victims.

Email is the most popular method scammers use to reach their targets, responsible for 30.75% of cases, followed by social media (20.19%) and websites (19.79%). The convenience of digital communication platforms has made it easier for scammers to…