Multilevel marketing (MLM) companies have long operated in the gray area between business opportunity and exploitation, but in recent years, their tactics have grown more insidious. Among the most troubling of these is the increasingly common practice of disguising recruitment efforts as legitimate job interviews. This deceptive strategy, employed even on professional platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, targets individuals who are often already vulnerable—job seekers who are unemployed, underemployed, or desperate to make ends meet.
The modern job market is a minefield. Layoffs, stagnant wages, inflation, and a rising cost of living have made financial security elusive for millions. For many, a job search is not about chasing a dream career but about survival. This economic precarity has created fertile ground for MLM recruiters to sow false hope. They craft job listings that look like standard employment offers—customer service, sales associate, marketing rep, business development. These posts appear on legitimate job boards, sometimes even with salaries or hourly pay mentioned. They mimic the language of real jobs: “Join our team,” “We’re hiring,” “Full-time and part-time positions available,” “No experience needed.” But behind the curtain, these are not jobs in any traditional sense. They are recruitment funnels.
What begins as an application for a normal job often spirals into a sales pitch. Applicants are contacted quickly—too quickly—and invited to interviews that are vague or oddly enthusiastic. Red flags emerge: the “interview” is a group Zoom call with no opportunity for questions, or it takes place in a hotel conference room, or it ends with a request to attend a “training session” that costs money. These interactions almost never involve discussion of a regular paycheck. Instead, the focus is on personal growth, being your own boss, and unlimited earning potential. Compensation is commission-only, and it’s dependent on both selling products and recruiting others to do the same.
MLMs thrive on this ambiguity. They rely on the hope that job seekers, too overwhelmed or too desperate to scrutinize the opportunity, will go along with the process. By the time the truth becomes clear—that the company offers no guaranteed income, no benefits, and no job stability—people are often emotionally and financially invested. Some have already paid fees for starter kits or mandatory seminars. Others have shared the opportunity with friends and family, unknowingly becoming part of the same predatory system that misled them.
LinkedIn, a platform built around professional credibility, has become a particularly disturbing hotspot for these tactics. Recruiters from MLMs craft polished profiles and reach out directly to users under the guise of networking or offering a career opportunity. The language is flattering and generic: “You have the perfect profile for our company,” “I think you’d be a great fit for our team,” or “Are you open to new opportunities?” Because LinkedIn is viewed as a platform for serious professionals, users are less likely to be skeptical. It’s not uncommon for someone to show up to what they believe is an interview for a marketing position, only to realize they’re being pitched on selling overpriced skincare or nutritional supplements through a direct sales model.
Indeed and other job boards are also riddled with MLM listings, despite policies ostensibly banning them. These platforms depend on automated systems to screen job postings, but recruiters for MLMs are adept at gaming the system. They change keywords, avoid telling phrases like “commission-only,” and create listings that mirror those from actual companies. Because job platforms operate at scale, and because many MLMs are technically legal businesses, the posts slip through. Reporting mechanisms exist but are often buried or ineffective. Job seekers burned by the experience are left demoralized, sometimes financially strained, and no closer to real employment.
This problem is compounded by the fact that MLMs are difficult to legally define or regulate. While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against some of the most egregious offenders, most MLMs operate in a legal gray area, shielding themselves with disclaimers and complex compensation structures. They claim that they are not offering employment but rather a business opportunity—convenient language that allows them to sidestep labor laws and evade scrutiny. In reality, however, their methods often mirror those of classic scams: misrepresenting potential earnings, using high-pressure sales tactics, and targeting those least able to absorb financial risk.
The burden of identifying and avoiding MLMs increasingly falls on the job seeker, which is both unfair and unrealistic. Many people, particularly young workers, immigrants, and those in economically depressed regions, are simply not equipped to navigate this kind of deception. The veneer of legitimacy—company logos, professional LinkedIn profiles, job listings on trusted platforms—creates a false sense of security. In a world where work is scarce and the stakes are high, even a glimmer of opportunity can be blinding.
The emotional toll is just as real as the financial one. Being misled into believing you’ve found a job, only to discover you’ve been targeted by a sales scheme, can leave people feeling embarrassed, betrayed, and hopeless. For some, especially those with limited support systems, it becomes a cycle: they invest time and money into the MLM in the hope it will eventually pay off, while continuing to search for “real” work that may never come. In the worst cases, they end up in debt, isolated from loved ones, and doubting their own judgment.
There are steps that can help protect job seekers, but they require awareness and systemic change. Platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed must improve their screening processes and make it easier to report suspicious postings. Clear, accessible education about MLM tactics should be incorporated into employment centers, schools, and online job search resources. Government oversight must also evolve to address the new ways MLMs operate in digital spaces. Most importantly, we must stop pretending that the burden of dodging predatory schemes is solely the responsibility of the individual. These practices are widespread, intentional, and harmful.
MLMs present themselves as modern entrepreneurship, but their core business model is built on exploitation. They do not empower workers—they entrap them. When they masquerade as employers, they cross a new ethical line, capitalizing on people’s hopes, desperation, and trust in professional platforms. The cost is not just financial; it is human. It is time we call these tactics what they are: predatory, deceptive, and unacceptable in any economy that claims to value honest work.
