It’s a frustrating reality that many Canadians face daily—while hunting for genuine job opportunities, they often end up clicking on fake job ads that lead them nowhere. In 2024 alone, Canadians lost a staggering $47 million to employment fraud, with nearly $15 million of those losses reported in Ontario.
In response, Ontario’s Labour Minister David Piccini is taking decisive action to protect workers from these scams. Speaking in an interview, Piccini emphasized the government’s commitment to removing fraudulent job ads and safeguarding vulnerable job seekers. “We want these ads pulled. We want to protect the workers of Ontario,” he said. Many scams involve fake listings designed to steal personal data or extract payments from hopeful applicants.
Under a new proposal by the Ford government, job posting platforms will soon be regulated by law to implement clear, user-friendly ways for people to report fraudulent listings. These platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Indeed, will also need to publish policies detailing how they handle fraud reports, speed up the removal of fake ads, and contribute to making Ontario a leader in safe and transparent online job markets.
Piccini stressed that social media companies have a moral obligation to protect users from scams. “If there are job postings, there will also be a requirement to report job posting scams. So, platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Indeed will all have to have the ability to report scams. This will be required by law in the province of Ontario.”
He further stressed that the platforms failing to act swiftly could face enforcement measures. The government hopes these changes will significantly reduce job fraud, which often features red flags like no in-person interviews, offers of unusually high pay for minimal work, or requests for upfront money.
Job seekers are advised to stay vigilant and report suspicious ads to avoid falling victim to these costly scams.
