THE Philippines has emerged as the second-largest target of employment fraud in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region, accounting for 20 percent of all scam attempts tracked by Seek, the parent firm of Jobstreet and Jobsdb.
The findings were released as part of Seek’s report for International Fraud Awareness Week, based on fraud-detection data from July 2024 to June 2025 across six Asian markets and Australia and New Zealand. Indonesia remained the top fraud hotspot, representing 38 percent of Apac job scam attempts and 62 percent within Asia.
Seek said scammers are increasingly tailoring their schemes to each country’s job market conditions. Administration and office support roles are the most targeted across Asia at 29 percent of fraudulent job ads, followed by manufacturing, transport and logistics at 16 percent. Sales roles also remain common scam targets.
In the Philippines, fraud attempts frequently target accounting, sales, healthcare, medical, administrative, manufacturing and logistics positions — roles that draw large volumes of applicants seeking immediate employment.
“Administration and office support roles are particularly vulnerable because they typically don’t require specialised degrees or extensive experience,” said Tom Rhind, Seek’s head of Trust & Safety. “Sales positions show similar patterns, as these roles often promise immediate employment and commission-based earnings.”
As the Philippines’ leading employment marketplace, Jobstreet by Seek said it implements strict controls to prevent exploitative recruitment and modern slavery. Its Trust & Safety team verifies hirers, while automated and manual moderation screens job postings. Candidates can also report suspicious listings.
Seek said its systems scan all 4.3 million job ads across Apac, with eight percent escalated for manual review. This prevented 3,600 hirers from joining its platforms, led to the closure of 650 accounts linked to fraud or high-risk behavior and resulted in the removal of nearly 2,800 risky ads. Job seekers reported around 22,000 suspicious posts, all reviewed by the Trust & Safety team.
Scammers have recently begun using artificial intelligence to produce more convincing job scams and impersonate Seek and Jobstreet through SMS, messaging apps and social media. In the Philippines, Viber has become one of the most commonly used channels for scam attempts.
Jobstreet by Seek said it continues to upgrade its fraud-detection systems, strengthen verification processes and collaborate with government and industry partners. Through its Security & Privacy Hub, it also educates job seekers on safe job searching and scam awareness. / KOC