Author: Britny Eubank

Published: 2:01 PM CDT July 14, 2026

Updated: 2:01 PM CDT July 14, 2026

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating LinkedIn over what he says are allegations that the company has advertised fake or misleading job opportunities to Premium subscribers.

In a press release, Paxton said LinkedIn has long marketed its paid Premium subscription services to "job seekers who have the expectation that the platform's job listings represent legitimate, active hiring opportunities." Paxton says the LinkedIn Premium Career or Premium Business subscriptions cost approximately $39.99 and $69.99 per year, respectively.

Paxton says LinkedIn does not independently verify the hiring status of most listings on its platform, leading to the presence of so-called "ghost job" listings – listings that either don't correspond to an actual open position or are posted despite an employer having no immediate intention of filling the role.

Paxton says LinkedIn's premium marketing materials don't disclose that "a significant percentage of job postings may be inactive, unfilled, or otherwise not representative of genuine hiring opportunities," and as a result, consumers may have paid for a Premium subscription based on misleading representations of the effectiveness of LinkedIn's job marketplace.

“I will use every resource available to my office to help job-seeking Texans find and secure real employment opportunities,” Paxton said in the press release. “LinkedIn has a duty to provide the services it advertises and ensure that consumers paying for Premium subscriptions are receiving access to legitimate job postings. I am investigating whether LinkedIn has misled Texans by promoting and profiting from ‘ghost jobs’ while marketing itself as a trusted platform for finding employment.”

Paton's office has issued a Civil Investigative Demand, or CID, to LinkedIn, seeking documents, data and internal communications related to LinkedIn's advertising, marketing, verification practices and representations for Premium subscription services and job listings.

KVUE has reached out to LinkedIn for comment on the allegations and the Attorney General's investigation.