LinkedIn, Monster take down over 1,000 fake job postings after CBC investigation

More than 1,500 misleading job postings — offering remote work, no experience needed — have been taken down from LinkedIn and Monster after a CBC visual investigation revealed the listings funnelled unsuspecting applicants to a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that asked for money.

CBC connected a network of travel-related pages posting suspicious jobs — positions like "Work From Home Travel Planner and Virtual Customer Support Representative" — to a U.S.-based MLM called Evolution Travel. Some of the roles promised to pay up to $75,000 US per year.

In reality, there was no job and no salary.

Applicants were quickly directed to join virtual information sessions, where they were asked to pay hundreds of dollars up front, followed by a monthly subscription fee. The program promised to teach members how to make money from booking travel as an independent agent and recruiting others into the program, taking a cut of their commissions.

WATCH | Investigating who's behind hundreds of fake job postings:

Exposing who’s behind fake job ads online

15 minutes ago|

Duration

10:19

The companies went by names like Wanderwell Collective, Professional Travel Hub, Remote-Careers, Sky Land & Ocean Travel and Sunkissed Getaways.

The job postings made no mention of Evolution Travel or sign-up fees.

Many of the jobs did not require experience and promised to pay up to $75,000 US. (Illustration: Matthew Hoddy/CBC; LinkedIn)

"This is disgusting," said Jay Jones, a Chicago-based job listing investigator who CBC shared its findings with. "They catch you with the lure of the fake job. The money is great, [successful applicants] get to stay at home. You have to pay to get work — that's not how work works."

Misleading job postings — including ones that require payment or lead to MLMs — are strictly prohibited on platforms like LinkedIn and other job sites.

Jay Jones investigates misleading and fake jobs online. (CBC)

"It feels in so many ways that we're living in a funhouse mirror," said Vass Bednar, managing director of the Canadian Shield Institute, a public policy think-tank that focuses on economic resilience and digital sovereignty.

These postings risk "eroding confidence — confidence in the self and confidence that there is, frankly, meaningful work out there for people that is worth pursuing."

Jobs were 'misleading': LinkedIn

MLMs are not illegal in Canada or the U.S. However, in the U.S., companies and individuals could face fines if they are found to violate the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits "unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce."

"I would consider [these job posts] misleading… and would invite enforcement by either the FTC, the state governments or other federal enforcement agencies," said William Kovacic, former FTC chairman and commissioner, with whom CBC also shared its findings.

One independent agent behind multiple travel businesses linked to misleading jobs ads CBC identified — Wanderwell Collective, Destination Knot, Aisle and Abroad, and Professional Travel Hub — was Diedre Norton. In one video posted to YouTube, Norton said she had a network of 300 recruits for Evolution Travel.

Even though Evolution Travel’s founder, David McCovy, praised her in online videos as being a top performer, Norton denied being affiliated with the program before hanging up on CBC News.

Screenshot of an online video showing Evolution founder David McCovy during a conference. (EvolutionTravelCafe/YouTube)

McCovy did not respond to CBC’s requests for comment.

A representative from Evolution Travel who only identified themselves by their title, chief operating officer, told CBC they have consistently told their independent agents not to post job ads on any platforms.

Late last month, LinkedIn took down close to 900 ads connected to Evolution Travel, saying it had removed them because they were "misleading and violated" company policy, adding "the companies behind them will no longer be able to post jobs" on the platform.

Monster took down 600 listings, saying it has "clear policies prohibiting misleading job postings and multi-level marketing opportunities, and we take action to remove listings that do not meet our standards."

Hundreds of job postings posted to LinkedIn and Monster actually brought applicants into the recruiting process for a multi-level marketing company, a CBC News visual investigation has found. (Illustration: Matthew Hoddy/CBC, LinkedIn, Monster)

Detecting fake jobs

Evolution Travel does not operate in Canada, but CBC journalists still came across the job posting in their feeds. They were also recommended in emails from LinkedIn.

The ads contained immediate red flags. The travel companies named in the ads had minimal to no presence online, and there were close to 1,500 postings, often with almost identical job descriptions.

Many of the jobs did not require experience and were remote. CBC found more than 1,500 misleading or fake jobs. (LinkedIn)

The jobs, in many cases, required no education, no prior experience and often did not require a resumé.

CBC applied for eight jobs on LinkedIn and Monster, attaching a blank document as a resumé in cases that required it. Upon applying, the team was sent automated emails to join a virtual information session by individuals connected to Evolution Travel. 

CBC journalists were sent automated emails and asked to join a virtual information session by individuals connected to Evolution Travel upon applying for the jobs. (CBC)

Evolution Travel and its partner Archer Travel Services describe themselves as an international "home-based travel business" that trains its members to book travel and earn a commission.

But it's not just about booking travel. Archer Travel’s website describes Evolution Travel as its "recruiting partner" and describes it as a "network marketing" company — another term for multi-level marketing, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

A compensation plan for members on Evolution Travel’s website shows a percentage of commissions and monthly bonuses are paid to the most effective recruiters, with membership tiers up to "8 Star Platinum" for recruiting 100,000 people.

Documents show compensation plans for Evolution Travel. (Evolution Travel)

None of this was mentioned in the information sessions CBC attended, which covered travel booking exclusively. When a CBC journalist posing as a job applicant asked about getting commissions from their own recruits, the session host said it was not covered in the information sessions and that the person who invited them into the program would address it.

Session hosts also didn’t disclose there is a hidden $50 annual fee in the independent contractor agreement, seen by CBC, when signing up.

A screenshot from an Evolution virtual session shows the packages attendees can pay to enrol in the program. (Evolution Travel)

Former FTC chairman and commissioner Kovacic said if he were still at the agency, he would be looking into the company.

"[Fees are] not presented in the initial interaction," he said. "It's shrouded in a way that's very important and would mislead users."

27,000 independent contractors

Job seekers have been complaining about Evolution Travel, its members and agents like Deidre Norton online and to the Better Business Bureau for years.

In 2021, Evolution Travel was among 1,000 companies put on notice by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that they could face fines if they or their representatives made "misleading, or deceptive representations" about a "money-making opportunity." 

Kovacic said a firm that "defied" FTC notices and continued to persist in these practices would be a "worthy target for an investigation."

CBC News found numerous complaints online about companies linked to the job postings. (Illustration: Matthew Hoddy/CBC, Reddit, Better Business Bureau)

Ron Archer, the CEO of Archer Travel Services, said that the company does "not condone illegal job postings and addresses them when we are made aware."

Yet in videos online, travel agents connected to Evolution Travel talked openly about using LinkedIn job postings to recruit people into the business.

Archer said they cannot "tell people how they train for their business" because they have "27,000 independent contractors around the world."

"LinkedIn is a big one," said one member in a June 2026 training video posted to YouTube. "We have quite a few different trainings on how to post on LinkedIn."

Jay Jones, who has gotten tens of thousands of jobs taken down from platforms himself, said companies like LinkedIn and Monster generate revenue through this traffic.

"There's no actual vetting of what companies get to be created, what jobs get to be listed," said Jones. "People coming [to LinkedIn] believing that there are real opportunities are greeted with this MLM nonsense."

For any tips related to this investigation, contact eric.szeto@cbc.ca or the visual investigation team’s inbox: vi@cbc.ca