The Philippines is the second most attacked country by fraudulent job offers in Asia-Pacific region, with fresh graduates seen as main victims of such scams, according to a report by Australian employment firm SEEK.

Data from SEEK showed that 20 percent of job fraud in the region took place in the Philippines between July 2024 and June this year. The country trailed only Indonesia, the fraud hotspot in Asia-Pacific, which accounted for 38 percent of total.

Through its internal fraud-detection system, SEEK found that the primary job scams across the region are in administration and office support roles, representing 29 percent of total.

“Administration and office support roles are particularly vulnerable because they typically don’t require specialized degrees or extensive experience,” said SEEK head of trust and safety Tom Rhind.

This makes fresh graduates particularly vulnerable, as fraudsters exploit their eagerness to secure employment soon after completing their education.

The report also noted that roles in manufacturing, transport, and logistics registered 16 percent of fraud attempts. Fraudulent job offers in sales are also becoming more prominent, as these roles often promise immediate employment and commission-based earnings that appeal to job seekers in urgent need of income.

In the Philippines, industries most frequently targeted by scammers include accounting, sales, healthcare and medical, administration and office support, manufacturing, transportation, and logistics.

“These entry-level categories create larger pools of potential victims and make it easier for scammers to cast wide nets with convincing-looking opportunities,” Rhind said.

SEEK, the parent firm of online employment platforms Jobstreet and JobsDB, noted that scammers have been harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to create more sophisticated scams. Many of these scams impersonate Jobstreet to contact candidates through text messages, messaging apps, and social media platforms.

In the Philippines, one of the most common platforms scammers use is Viber.

In response to these evolving threats, SEEK said it continues to enhance fraud detection in Jobstreet through features such as automated blocking and improved verification. Jobstreet by SEEK is also implementing new controls to prevent exploitative recruitment and modern slavery, including detailed checks of hirers and both automated and manual content moderation to screen job advertisements.

“Candidates are also empowered with reporting tools to flag suspicious postings,” it said.

The company said it removed nearly 2,800 risky job ads and shut down 650 fraudulent hirer accounts last year. Job seekers, meanwhile, reported about 22,000 suspicious ads, which were then reviewed by SEEK’s trust and safety team.