Young people in Australia have been warned about a surge in fake job scams.(ABC News: Yiying Li)
Manish Bholan moved to Perth from Nepal six months ago and has been looking for work since.
The 23-year-old found a cleaning job advertised on a Facebook group, but instead of finding work unknowingly fell into an employment scam.
After responding to the job ad he was asked by a recruiter to fill out a form and pay $345 for the form processing.
And I paid for it to get a new job, he told the ABC.
Later he asked around [additional] $450 for the dress [work clothing], and I realised it was a scam.
Manish Bholan is one of many victims of job scams targeting Australians.(ABC News: Yiying Li)
He is one of hundreds of young people being targeted by employment scams, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch.
The number of job-related scams reported by people aged 24 and under soared to 837 last year, up from 361 reported scams in 2024.
Of those reported scams, online scams remained the most popular method of contact (370 reports, up from 199) while text-message scams jumped from 63 in 2024 up to 315 in 2025.
Overall, $19 million was reported lost to job scams via online contact methods, according to Scamwatch.
The watchdog has also warned that most scams are now perpetuated by organised and sophisticated criminal networks — often based in scam compounds with resources, training and tools to effectively manipulate people.
Manish Bholan realised the offer was a scam after being asked for payments.(ABC News: Yiying Li)
Mr Bholan said the authorities should take strict and immediate action against the individuals responsible to prevent more innocent people from being scammed.
No-one else should have to go through this experience,he said.
WA ScamNet said it encouraged jobseekers to be wary of roles that promised unusually high pay, required up-front fees, or pressured applicants to share personal or banking information.
Legitimate employers do not ask for payment to secure a position, and consumers are encouraged to verify the organisation's details before engaging further, it said.
Job scam may involve crimes
The Commonwealth Bank has pointed out that employment scams can unfold gradually and may involve criminal activity.
What we're seeing is scammers posing as employers and offering flexible or casual roles, then asking young people to receive money or move funds as part of the job, said James Roberts, the bank's executive general manager of fraud and scams.
Scamwatch says most scams are now perpetrated by organised and sophisticated criminal networks.(ABC News: Sharon Gordon)
Many don't realise their bank account is being used without their knowledge to help move proceeds of crime.
Even if someone doesn't realise what's happening at first, knowingly allowing your bank account to be used or moving money for someone else can lead to account restrictions or closure.
Money laundering is a serious criminal offence.
Mr Roberts said it was important to distinguish between those who were unknowingly manipulated by scammers and those who knowingly rented out or sold access to their bank accounts.
He added that people who were tricked into this were being targeted by scammers and should contact their bank as early as possible.
Employment scams can unfold gradually and may involve criminal activity, CommBank warns.(AAP: Bianca De Marchi)
According to Commonwealth Bank's analysis, 1,825 Facebook groups were identified offering to rent or buy Australian bank accounts between August 8 and October 7, 2024.
What do to if you are scammed?
ScamWatch has urged people to stop and check any job offer that requires an applicant to pay money to make money — it could be a scam.
Scammers offer high-paying jobs that require little effort,it said.
But it's only the scammer that will make money in the end. Often the job doesn't exist at all.
Scammers would pose as recruiters on behalf of well-known companies and online shopping platforms, the authority added.
Their goal is to steal your money and identity details.They often ask for payment so you can start the role and get the income they've promised, it said.
ScamWatch said urged people not to enter any arrangement that asked for up-front payment via bank transfer, PayID or cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or USDT, as it was rare to get money back that was sent this way.
Preying on vulnerabilities
In Western Australia, 733 people fell victim to a mix of hacking, phishing, romance, dating and employment scams in 2025 — with losses totalling $24 million.
The state's Consumer Protection agency identified increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect AI-generated scams as a major emerging problem.
Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake said AI was used to impersonate famous people and swindle people through romance or investment scams.
We have to remember that these scammers are amongst the best behavioural scientists on this planet and they are so very, very good at preying on our vulnerabilities and getting us into that space where we're no longer thinking logically but are thinking with our hearts and with our emotions, she said.
Assume everything is a scam, until we can prove otherwise because the scammers are so ever present and they're so clever at what they do.
People who believe they may have been scammed should contact their bank andIDCAREfor support to recover, as report it toScamwatchand thepolice.
