Virgin Media O2 has issued a warning after its quarterly Scam Index revealed that job and employment scams have climbed into the UK’s top 10 most commonly reported fraud types, rising from 11th to 9th place.

The increase coincides with recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showing that nearly one million young people aged 16–24 are not in education, employment, or training.

According to the data, nearly one in three (29%) young adults aged 18–24 have fallen victim to recruitment scams, representing the highest proportion of any age group.

Fraudsters are increasingly exploiting jobseekers with messages promising flexible hours and easy earnings, such as claiming recipients have been recommended for remote roles or offering hundreds of pounds for minimal work.

The consequences extend beyond false promises: 29% of victims were tricked into paying application, training, or equipment fees, while 32% were manipulated into downloading malicious apps or clicking dangerous links.

Says Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2:

 “Looking for work can be challenging, and an unexpected recruitment message can look like the break someone has been waiting for. Scammers exploit that hope, posing as familiar companies and recruiters to persuade people to respond.

“With recruitment scams entering our , we’re revealing some of the messages fraudsters use so people know what to look out for. They don’t always promise extraordinary salaries – some look like an ordinary introduction from a recruiter.

“Before responding to an unexpected job message, check the opportunity directly with the company using contact details you’ve found yourself.”

Beyond recruitment scams, the Scam Index shows suspicious calls overtaking emails as the most frequently reported approach, with calls rising from 55% to 61% and emails falling from 57% to 52%. Delivery scams remain the most commonly seen, rising from 63% to 68%. Fake account suspension messages moved into second place (58%), ahead of online shopping scams (55%).

Virgin Media O2’s quarterly Scam Index brings together consumer research and the operator’s internal data to track the threats facing the public, the impact on victims and the tactics criminals use.

To help the public identify malicious approaches, Virgin Media O2 recommends checking official company websites independently, questioning too-good-to-be-true promises, protecting personal information and forwarding suspicious text messages to the free 7726 reporting service.

UK’s Top 10 Most Commonly Seen Scams

1. Delivery scams (68%)

2. Account suspension scams (58%)

3. Online shopping scams (55%)

4. Tech support scams (47%)

5. Telecoms scams (47%)

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