Australia Combats Job Scams: National Anti-Scam Centre Removes 29,000 Social Media Accounts and 1,850 Fake Job Ads

To crack down on employment fraudsters exploiting Australians struggling with cost-of-living pressures, the Australian National Anti-Scam Centre’s Job Scam Fusion Cell collaborated with Meta to dismantle fraudulent accounts spreading job scam content, leading to the removal of 29,000 social media accounts. The Fusion Cell also referred 1,850 scam enablers, including fraudulent job websites and advertisements, for removal.

From 2022 to 2023, financial losses due to job scams soared by 151% in Australia. In 2024 alone, Scamwatch, an Australian government initiative operated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), received more than 3,000 reports of job scams, with total reported losses reaching $13.7 million, an average loss rate 5.1% higher than all other scam types.

“These scams disproportionately impact people on low incomes, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, international students, non-resident visa holders, people with caring responsibilities, and others with limited employment options,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.

The Job Scam Fusion Cell also referred 836 scam-related cryptocurrency wallets to digital currency exchanges, enabling investigations and blacklisting. 

How to Protect Yourself from Job Scams

• Scammers advertise job opportunities so they can steal money and personal information. Stop and check any job ad that requires payment of money to make money. 
• Scammers offer jobs that claim to pay well with low effort. But it’s only the scammer that will make money in the end. Often the job doesn’t exist at all.
• Scammers pretend to be hiring on behalf of high-profile companies and online shopping platforms. They also impersonate well-known recruitment agencies.
• Scammers may make contact unexpectedly through text message or encrypted message platforms like WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram.
• Scammers often ask for payment claiming it is required so you can start the role and get the income they’ve promised. Don’t enter any arrangement that asks for up-front payment via bank transfer, PayID or cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin or USDT. It’s rare to get money back that is sent this way.
• Don’t trust a job ad is real just because it appears on a trusted platform or website; false advertisements are also posted.
• Never send passport, identity documents, or bank account details to an employer or recruitment firm unless certain they are genuine.