A generation under financial pressure is proving fertile ground for fraudsters. New research from Barclays reveals that nearly seven in ten Gen Z jobseekers apply for roles without first verifying whether they are genuine — a behavioural vulnerability that criminal networks are systematically exploiting.
The findings, published in Barclays’ latest Scams Bulletin and accompanied by a joint warning from LinkedIn, expose how the intersection of economic hardship and labour market dysfunction is creating measurable fraud risk. Four in five Gen Z adults (79 per cent) report facing some form of financial pressure, with building savings (39 per cent), covering everyday living costs (29 per cent), and paying for food (27 per cent) ranking as the principal concerns. Against that backdrop, three in five (62 per cent) have sought work in the past twelve months, submitting an average of 34 applications each — with 12 per cent exceeding 100.
The scale of frustration is equally striking. Half of those jobseekers (52 per cent) failed to secure a role, and eight in ten (78 per cent) found the process harder than anticipated — a figure that falls to 69 per cent among those aged 30 and above. Three quarters of respondents said they applied for positions they would not otherwise have considered, and the same proportion felt compelled to respond quickly to opportunities for fear of missing out. That combination of desperation and haste is precisely what fraudsters rely upon.
The mechanics of the scam
Paul Davis, Head of Economic Crime at Barclays, was direct about the threat: “Criminals exploit that pressure with professional-looking adverts, recruiter profiles and offers that promise high pay, flexible work or an easy application.” The danger, he stressed, does not require an immediate financial transaction. Requests for a CV, identity document, or bank details — each unremarkable in the context of a normal application — can furnish criminals with sufficient information to commit identity fraud or further offences. More insidiously, fake roles are used to recruit unwitting money mules, framing the transfer of criminal funds as a straightforward paid task. The consequences for those who comply can include frozen accounts and criminal prosecution.
LinkedIn’s VP of Trust Product, Oscar Rodriguez, reinforced the point, noting that approximately 90 per cent of reported scams on the platform involve a request to move the conversation off-platform — away from LinkedIn’s built-in verification tools and safety warnings. His advice was practical: look for verification badges on recruiter profiles, company pages, and job postings, and resist any pressure to migrate to private messaging services. The platform’s on-site infrastructure exists precisely to provide the friction that protects users.
The broader implication deserves emphasis. When labour markets tighten and economic anxiety rises, the population of people willing to cut corners on due diligence expands. Fraud is not merely a personal failing; it is an opportunistic industry that scales with social stress. Effective countermeasures require both individual vigilance — verifying opportunities through official employer websites, consulting trusted contacts — and platform-level design that makes verification the path of least resistance rather than an afterthought. The data from Barclays suggests that, at present, neither condition is reliably met.