SmartAsset’s latest study analyzes the growing trend of job fraud, ranking Arizona No. 34 in the U.S. for year-over-year increase in reported cases of employment scams. 

Among the study’s key findings: 

  • Over the last two full years, the frequency of reported job scams in Arizona increased 22%. 
  • In 2025, the most recent full year for which data is available, there were 401.5 job scams reported in Arizona per 1 million people. 
  • While many scams target senior citizens, job scams are the most commonly reported fraud category among 18- to 34-year-olds.

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For job seekers, the search for a new role now comes with an added source of stress: determining whether an opportunity is real or an attempt to exploit their need for work. Employment scams rank among the most common types of consumer fraud, and they’re on the rise, according to the Better Business Bureau. Scammers use career boards, social media and generative AI to impersonate recruiters and promote fake openings that may appear legitimate. These scams frequently promise flexible hours and unusually high pay to lure victims into providing personal information, making upfront payments or granting access to financial accounts.

SmartAsset analyzed the two most recent years of Federal Trade Commission data categorized as job scams to identify where reports increased the most. The study also measured how common these reports were in each state.

Key Findings

  • The frequency of reported job scams increased in every state. South Dakota saw the largest year-over-year increase, with reports rising by nearly 85%.
  • Job scammers may target people facing a difficult labor market. Nevada had the highest annual unemployment rate in 2025. It also had the highest rate of reported job scams that year, at approximately 502 reports per 1 million residents.
  • Low unemployment may have a modest correlation with fewer reported job scams. The six states with the fewest reported employment scams per 1 million residents all had unemployment rates well below the national average.
  • Young adults report job scams more often than other types of fraud. While many scams target senior citizens, job scams are the most commonly reported fraud category among 18- to 34-year-olds.