Scammers constantly change and adapt tactics. When E-Z Pass toll scams became a trending topic, scammers started sending DMV and speeding ticket collection texts instead. The latest ploy: sending scam texts from job services like Indeed, offering jobs and quick cash.
In June, we reported that searches for the term “indeed scam texts” increased 550 percent in the past 12 months, with a sharp spike beginning around May 11, according to Google Trends data. More recently, searches related to this scam are on the rise again, beginning around Aug. 24 and continuing to the present date. (One Mashable editor recently received two of these scam texts in 48 hours.) This time, scammers appear to be taking advantage of a real problem — the weak job market in the United States.
For job seekers, the situation is bleak. A Reuters Ipsos poll reveals that 71 percent of respondents are worried that AI will lead to job losses. Yahoo Finance recently reported that unemployment is at the highest level since October 2021, and in June, the U.S. recorded “the first monthly net job loss since December 2020.” It’s in this environment that scammers are sending texts promising jobs and quick cash.
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