Key Findings from the Study
- Employment scams resulted in$2,742,572 in reported financial losses in just the first four months of 2025.
- Only 14.3% of employment scam reports included financial losses—but the average hit was nearly $5,000 per victim.
- California had the highest total losses: $531,065 from 70 cases.
- South Dakota had the highest average loss: $60,000 from a single case.
- Texas and Florida had the most scam reports overall, with 48 and 37 cases respectively.
Employment fraud is quickly emerging as one of the most geographically concentrated and financially damaging forms of consumer deception—and it’s intensifying.
An exclusive new study from BackOffice Pro uncovers how scammers are exploiting job seekers across the U.S.—and which states are losing the most. From fake job offers to fraudulent training fees, employment scams are draining millions from people often already under financial stress.
The study analyzed 3,845 employment scam reports submitted to the BBB Scam Tracker through April 2025, focusing on total financial impact, geographic distribution, and average loss per victim to provide a real-time view of scam dynamics in today’s job market.
“This data highlights the financial pressure job seekers are facing, especially when they fall victim to scams,” says Israel Paul, head of human resources at BackOffice Pro.
Where Are the Most Costly Employment Scams Happening?
California leads in total financial losses from employment scams, with over $531,000 reported from just 70 cases. That’s an average of $7,586 per victim—a significant financial disruption for people already seeking work.
| State | Rank | Total Loss | Average Loss |
| California | 1 | $531,065.81 | $7,586.65 |
| Florida | 2 | $341,548.35 | $9,231.04 |
| Washington | 3 | $138,527.75 | $9,235.18 |
| Texas | 4 | $94,416.57 | $1,967.01 |
| Georgia | 5 | $85,515.45 | $2,758.56 |
“In some states, the average scam value may seem low—but the total impact adds up fast,” explains Paul. “These scams are volume-driven, not just high-dollar hits.”
Which States Report the Most Employment Scams?
California reported the highest number of employment scam cases in early 2025, followed by Texas, Florida, Georgia, and New York. While some of these states also rank high in total financial loss, the average loss per case varies widely.
| State | Rank | Cases |
| California | 1 | 70 |
| Texas | 2 | 48 |
| Florida | 3 | 37 |
| Georgia | 4 | 31 |
| New York | 5 | 27 |
“A higher case count doesn’t always mean a higher risk. It can also reflect stronger awareness and more reporting by victims,” says Paul.
Are Employment Scams Becoming More Common?
The average number of scam reports per month has grown significantly:
| Year | Total Cases | Monthly Average |
| 2021 | 3,221 | 268.4 |
| 2022 | 3,575 | 297.9 |
| 2023 | 3,857 | 321.4 |
| 2024 | 11,747 | 979.0 |
| 2025* | 3,845 | 1,026.0 |
Loss reports remain consistent year over year at 14.8–16.7%, but the rising volume means the total financial toll is growing fast.
“The issue isn’t just that scams are happening—it’s that more people are falling for them despite stronger awareness campaigns,” notes Paul. “We’re dealing with a volume problem.”
Between The Lines
This study shows that job scams don’t need to be high-tech to cause high harm. A steady stream of low-sophistication attacks—disguised as job offers, training programs, or remote opportunities—is draining millions from Americans, often when they can least afford it.
In other words, the combination of economic vulnerability, geographic targeting, and fast online hiring processes creates ideal conditions for scammers.
Critics might note that most scams don’t lead to losses. That’s true—but those that do have serious financial and emotional consequences.
“What makes these scams so harmful is the timing. They target people at vulnerable moments, when they’re searching for stability,” says Paul.
What’s Next
To counteract the growing wave of employment scams, companies, governments, and job boards should consider:
- Stronger vetting for job listings on hiring platforms
- Education campaigns on how scams are presented (e.g., fake interviews, training fees, wire requests)
- Encouraging reporting and building local alert systems
- Building fraud warnings into digital job application workflows
“Employment scams aren’t just a cyber issue—they’re a workforce readiness issue,” says Paul. “We need smarter defenses that meet people where they’re vulnerable—at the moment of opportunity.”
Methodology
We extracted scam case data from the BBB Scam Tracker, focusing on employment scams reported between 2021 and 2025. The dataset was cleaned and standardized by filtering to include only cases with financial loss, mapping state abbreviations to full names, and calculating monthly averages, with particular emphasis on the 2025 data (available until April 24), to provide insights into current scam trends.
The analysis involved aggregating cases by year and state to determine total volumes, cases with loss, and the percentage of loss-inducing incidents. This focused approach highlights evolving scam dynamics and supports targeted strategies to mitigate the financial impacts associated with employment scams.
