Seven in 10 Gen Z jobseekers apply without checking whether roles are genuine as four in five face financial pressure

• 79 per cent of Gen Z are currently facing some form of financial pressure, with building savings and covering everyday living costs emerging as the top concerns
• Three in five (63 per cent) have looked for work in the past year, applying for an average of 34 roles each, while 12 per cent applied for 100+ jobs
• 45 per cent have been targeted by a job scam, and of this group, eight in 10 believe the scammer used AI
• Just one in three know acting as a money mule could result in a criminal record
• Barclays data shows Gen Z scam claims rose 12.4 per cent in H1 2026, while the value of their claims increased 22.7 per cent
• The Barclays Scams Bulletin tracks scam trends across personal and business accounts, with expert advice from Barclays digital safety specialists

New research from the latest Barclays Scams Bulletin suggests scammers are exploiting the financial and employment pressures facing Gen Z. Fake job adverts can be used to steal personal information or recruit young people as money mules, with nearly seven in 10 Gen Z jobseekers (69 per cent) applying for roles or opportunities without carrying out checks first.

Four in five Gen Z adults (79 per cent) say they are currently facing some form of financial pressure, with pressure to build savings (39 per cent), covering everyday livings costs (29 per cent) and paying for food (27 per cent) among the top concerns.

Three in five (62 per cent) have looked for work in the last 12 months, and Gen Z jobseekers say they applied for an average of 34 roles each, while 12 per cent applied for 100+ jobs. Despite these efforts, half of jobseekers (52 per cent) say they failed to secure a role, while eight in 10 (78 per cent) overall say they found the process harder than expected – compared with 69 per cent for those aged 30+. Three quarters (75 per cent) also say they applied for jobs they would not otherwise have considered, while the same proportion (75 per cent) felt pressure to respond quickly to opportunities to avoid missing out.

Eight in 10 Gen Zs (83 per cent) say they are seeking out other ways to make money beyond traditional employment, such as doing online tasks and one-off paid opportunities. Seven in 10 Gen Z jobhunters (69 per cent) say they have applied for a role without carrying out checks – compared with 51 per cent of those aged 30 and over – leaving younger applicants at greater risk of missing the warning signs of a job scam.

Financial pressure leaves young jobseekers exposed to scams

Barclays data shows Gen Z scam claims rose 12.4 per cent in H1 2026 when compared to the same period last year, while the overall value of their claims increased 22.7 per cent.

This comes as almost half of Gen Z adults (45 per cent) believe they’ve been targeted by a job scam – more than twice the 20 per cent for those aged 30+.

Of those targeted, 23 per cent said they received the approach by email and 17 per cent through a job/recruitment site. The roles commonly offered high pay (28 per cent), a quick or easy application process (24 per cent), and flexible or remote work (21 per cent). A significant portion – 32 per cent – were asked to share their CV or personal information and 22 per cent were asked for an identity document, showing that while many job scams seek financial gain, they can also be used to harvest personal data for phishing, identity theft and other forms of fraud.

Of this group, 80 per cent believe the job scammer used AI in some way to appear more convincing, such as creating a fake job advert (24 per cent). This comes as two in three Gen Z adults (67 per cent) believe AI is making job scams harder to spot, while 74 per cent believe the state of the jobs market is making people more open to them.

Money mule misunderstanding

In some cases, fake job offers can be a front for money-mule recruitment schemes, where criminals offer young people easy money to receive and transfer funds through their personal bank account. Moving money may be presented as a normal part of a paid role, when the person is in fact being asked to move criminal funds.

One in five Gen Z adults, 22 per cent, say they would consider an offer from a stranger to receive money into their personal bank account and transfer it elsewhere – almost three times the 8 per cent recorded among people aged 30 and over. Such offers may appear to be an easy way for young people to make an income, however just 33 per cent of Gen Z knew that money muling could lead to a criminal record, while only 28 per cent knew that it could lead to a fine or prison sentence.

Barclays’ Financial Confidence Index found that people who had lost money to fraud or a scam took an average of 7.5 months to regain their financial confidence, while almost a quarter (24 per cent) said they had still not regained it.*

Paul Davis, Head of Economic Crime at Barclays, said: “Young people are applying for large numbers of roles in a difficult jobs market, while facing pressure to earn money and respond quickly. Criminals exploit that pressure with professional-looking adverts, recruiter profiles and offers that promise high pay, flexible work or an easy application.

“A job scam does not need to take money straight away to cause harm. Requests for a CV, identity document or bank details may appear to be part of a normal application, but can give criminals the information they need to impersonate somebody or commit further fraud.

“Fake roles can also be used to recruit money mules by presenting the movement of funds as part of a paid job. Receiving and transferring money for a stranger is not a harmless way to earn a fee. It may mean moving criminal funds and can lead to a frozen account or criminal penalties. Always check an opportunity through the employer’s official website and ask someone you trust if you are unsure.”

Oscar Rodriguez, VP Trust Product at LinkedIn, said: “ Job seekers are navigating a challenging market and often feel pressure to move quickly when they see an opportunity. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the environment scammers look to exploit, using convincing recruiter messages, fake job postings and increasingly sophisticated tactics to appear legitimate.

“Taking a few extra moments to verify an opportunity can make a real difference. We encourage job seekers to look for trusted signals such as verification badges across recruiters, company Pages and job postings. We also recommend keeping conversations on LinkedIn instead of switching to private messaging services. Staying on the platform gives you built-in safety features, verification details, and smart warnings to keep you protected, which is key, since about 90% of reported scams involve requests to move off-platform.”

Paul Davis shares his SAFE guidance to help jobseekers avoid job scams:

S – Search through official sources
Check that the vacancy appears on the employer’s official website. Contact the employer through details you have found independently if you are unsure, rather than relying only on information supplied by a recruiter.

A – Ask someone you trust
Show the advert, message or offer to a friend, family member, careers adviser or colleague. A second person may spot pressure, unusual requests or details that do not add up.

F – Flag requests for personal information or money
Be cautious if you are asked for identity documents, bank details or other sensitive information early in the process. Genuine employers will not ask you to pay upfront for training, checks or equipment. Never receive or transfer money through your personal bank account for somebody you do not know.

E – Exit and report
Stop responding if something feels wrong and report the advert, account or message to the platform. Contact the organisation being impersonated and speak to your bank straight away if you have shared banking information, sent money or allowed money to pass through your account. You can also report fraud to Report Fraud.

For more information and advice on how to stay protected from fraud and scams, visit the Barclays fraud and scams website.

Notes to Editors

LinkedIn figures are based on LinkedIn platform data on reported employment scam content and messages shared with Barclays.

For more information, please contact Charlie Dart at charles.dart@barclays.com.

The consumer research was carried out between 14 and 18 August 2026 by Opinium on behalf of Barclays. There were 2,000 UK adult respondents, including 312 Gen Z adults aged 18 to 29. Results were weighted to be nationally representative. Opinium adheres to Market Research Society standards for respondent verification and transparency. All respondents were verified through Opinium’s identity validation and data-quality processes.

*Separate research from Barclays’ Financial Confidence Index figures are based on consumer research carried out between 24th – 28th April by Opinium Research on behalf of Barclays. There were 2,000 respondents, providing a representative sample of UK consumers by age, gender, region, and income group.

The scams figures in this release are based on Barclays current account customer data from January-June 2025 and January-June 2026.

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