A man in Lake Placid recently fell victim to a costly job scam, losing more than $100,000. He was initially paid for buying and shipping computers but eventually found himself responsible for the entire cost of the computers.

Bryan Oglesby of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said job scams are a significant issue in Florida.

"We've received 57 reports of employment scams specific to the West Florida marketplace," said Oglesby. "And this is a common scam that BBB sees. It's always in the top three most risky scams to consumers."

Scammers are employing creative tactics to deceive job seekers.

"So high pay for easy work, mystery shopping, reshipping, getting an offer to go mystery shopping, and you're buying gift cards at a local grocery store, and you receive the check in the mail, as well as many things like that, it'd be a widespread job scam that you want to avoid," said Oglesby.

Several red flags can help identify potential scams. These include payment requests, remote jobs that involve checks, cold calls, higher pay, and interviews conducted via email.

To protect yourself, expect scams, research companies with resources like the BBB, find and call the company directly, and never pay for a job.

If you become a victim of a scam, report it to the BBB and law enforcement. The BBB also offers a Scam Tracker to stay informed about the latest scams.

Click here to file a complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.