As retailers and businesses ramp up recruitment ahead of Black Friday, Christmas and the summer sales period, ANZ is urging Australians to stay alert to job scams designed to steal personal information and money.
With demand for seasonal workers rising, cyber criminals may seek to exploit job seekers by posing as recruiters, advertising fake roles and impersonating legitimate organisations.
The warning comes as hiring activity continues to build ahead of the festive season. Indeed Hiring Lab Australia data shows Christmas-related roles accounted for 1.8 per cent of all Australian job postings at the end of August, up from 1.0 per cent at the same time last year. Australians are also searching for Christmas jobs earlier than usual, with Christmas-related searches making up 1.4 per cent of all job searches, compared with 1.3 per cent a year earlier.
According to the National Anti-Scam Centre’s latest Targeting Scams report, reports of job and employment scams increased by 102.4 per cent in 2025, while reported losses rose by 81.5 per cent to $24.8 million. More than $19 million of these losses involved job scams where contact occurred online.
ANZ Scam Lead Ben Verhoef said job scams can be incredibly convincing, making it more important than ever for job seekers to pause and verify before responding.
"The Christmas hiring season creates valuable opportunities for people looking for work, but unfortunately it can also provide opportunities for scammers to target job seekers.
"Today's scams can appear highly convincing. Criminals often impersonate well-known businesses, create professional-looking job advertisements and communications, and use trusted online job platforms to approach potential victims.
"Job seekers should be cautious if they're asked to provide sensitive personal information, transfer money, receive and send goods, purchase equipment upfront, or act urgently before they've had the chance to verify who they're dealing with.
"A legitimate employer will not pressure someone into making payments or sharing information without following a proper recruitment process. Taking a moment to stop, think and verify could help prevent financial and emotional harm."
ANZ’s tips to help identify and avoid job scams:
Be cautious of unsolicited job offers, particularly where you have not applied for a position.
Independently verify the recruiter or employer using official contact details sourced from the organisation's website.
Be wary of requests for personal information, such as banking details or identity documents, early in the recruitment process.
Question communications that create a sense of urgency or pressure you to act immediately, including requests to complete an onboarding process before an offer has been formally made.
Never transfer money or purchase equipment as a condition of securing employment or for the lure of earning commissions after the task is completed.
Trust your instincts. If something seems unusual or inconsistent with a legitimate recruitment process, take the time to verify it.
For more information on how to stay safe from scams, visit: https://www.anz.com.au/security/
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