Over 1,500 deceptive job advertisements — promoting remote positions with no experience necessary — have been removed from LinkedIn and Monster following a visual investigation by CBC that uncovered these listings directed unsuspecting job seekers to a multi-level marketing (MLM) firm that required upfront payments.
CBC traced a series of travel-oriented pages that were posting questionable job offers — such as “Work From Home Travel Planner” and “Virtual Customer Support Representative” — back to an MLM based in the U.S. known as Evolution Travel. Some of these positions claimed to offer salaries of up to $75,000 US annually.
In truth, no actual jobs or salaries were available.
Candidates were swiftly funneled into virtual informational sessions where they were asked to pay hundreds of dollars upfront, in addition to a recurring monthly fee. The program purported to instruct members on how to earn income by booking travel as independent agents and by recruiting new members, taking a percentage of their earnings.
Major job-seeking platforms host hundreds of listings for remote travel jobs that promise salaries up to $75,000 with no experience required. CBC Visual Investigations applied online and found that there is no job: The ads lead to a U.S.-based multi-level marketing scheme that asks unsuspecting applicants to pay up front. After flagging the listings to LinkedIn and Monster, nearly 1,500 were taken offline.
The companies operated under names such as Wanderwell Collective, Professional Travel Hub, Remote-Careers, Sky Land & Ocean Travel, and Sunkissed Getaways.
The job listings failed to mention Evolution Travel or any associated 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 appalling,” stated Jay Jones, a job listing investigator from Chicago who was informed of the findings by CBC. “They lure you in with the promise of a fake job. The salary is enticing, [successful applicants] can work from home. You have to pay to get a job — that’s not how employment works.”
Misleading job advertisements — particularly those requiring payment or leading to MLMs — are strictly forbidden on platforms such as LinkedIn and other job boards.
Jay Jones investigates misleading and fake jobs online. (CBC)
“It often feels like we are living in a distorted reality,” remarked Vass Bednar, the managing director of the Canadian Shield Institute, a think tank focused on public policy, economic resilience, and digital sovereignty.
These listings pose a threat to “diminishing trust — trust in oneself and the belief that meaningful work is available and worth pursuing.”
Jobs were ‘misleading’: LinkedIn
While MLMs are not illegal in Canada or the U.S., companies and individuals in the U.S. might face penalties if they violate the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.”
“I would categorize [these job postings] as misleading… and would encourage enforcement from either the FTC, state governments, or other federal regulatory bodies,” said William Kovacic, a former FTC chairman and commissioner, who was also briefed on CBC’s findings.
One independent agent behind several travel businesses linked to the misleading job ads identified by CBC — including Wanderwell Collective, Destination Knot, Aisle and Abroad, and Professional Travel Hub — was Diedre Norton. In a YouTube video, Norton claimed to have a network of 300 recruits for Evolution Travel.
Despite Evolution Travel’s founder, David McCovy, praising her in online videos as a top performer, Norton denied any association with the program before abruptly ending the call with CBC News.
Screenshot of an online video showing Evolution founder David McCovy during a conference. (EvolutionTravelCafe/YouTube)
McCovy did not respond to CBC’s inquiries for comment.
A spokesperson from Evolution Travel, who only provided their title as chief operating officer, informed CBC that they consistently advise their independent agents against posting job ads on any platforms.
Last month, LinkedIn removed nearly 900 advertisements linked to Evolution Travel, stating they were taken down for being “misleading and violating” company policies, adding that “the companies behind them will no longer be able to post jobs” on the site.
Monster removed 600 listings, asserting it has “clear policies prohibiting misleading job postings and multi-level marketing opportunities, and we take action to eliminate listings that do not meet our standards.”
Numerous job postings on LinkedIn and Monster actually directed applicants into the recruiting process for a multi-level marketing company, as uncovered by a CBC News visual investigation. (Illustration: Matthew Hoddy/CBC, LinkedIn, Monster)
Detecting fake jobs
Although Evolution Travel does not operate in Canada, CBC reporters found the job postings appearing in their feeds. They were also recommended through emails from LinkedIn.
The advertisements displayed immediate warning signs. The travel companies mentioned in the ads had minimal or no online presence, and there were close to 1,500 listings, frequently featuring nearly 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)
In many instances, the jobs needed no educational qualifications, previous experience, and often didn’t even require a resume.
CBC submitted applications for eight positions on LinkedIn and Monster, providing a blank document as a resume where required. Following their applications, the team received automated emails inviting them to attend a virtual information session by individuals associated with Evolution Travel.
CBC journalists received automated emails and were invited to join a virtual information session by individuals associated with Evolution Travel upon applying for the positions. (CBC)
Evolution Travel and its partner Archer Travel Services present themselves as an international “home-based travel business” that instructs its members on booking travel and earning commissions.
However, it’s not solely about travel bookings. Archer Travel’s website labels Evolution Travel as its “recruiting partner” and defines it as a “network marketing” company — another term for multi-level marketing, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
A compensation structure outlined on Evolution Travel’s website reveals that a portion of commissions and monthly bonuses are awarded to the most successful recruiters, with membership tiers as high as “8 Star Platinum” for recruiting 100,000 individuals.
Documents illustrate compensation plans for Evolution Travel. (Evolution Travel)
None of this information was disclosed during the information sessions attended by CBC, which focused solely on travel bookings. When a CBC journalist, posing as a job seeker, inquired about earning commissions from their own recruits, the session facilitator stated it was not addressed in the information sessions and that the individual who invited them to the program would provide clarification.
The session leaders also failed to inform participants about a hidden $50 annual fee in the independent contractor agreement, which CBC had the opportunity to review.
A screenshot from an Evolution virtual session demonstrates the packages participants can pay to enroll in the program. (Evolution Travel)
Former FTC chairman and commissioner Kovacic remarked that if he were still with the agency, he would be investigating the company.
“[Fees are] not disclosed in the initial interaction,” he explained. “It’s obscured in a manner that is significant and would mislead potential users.”
27,000 independent contractors
Job seekers have voiced their concerns about Evolution Travel, its members, and agents like Deidre Norton for years, both online and to the Better Business Bureau.
In 2021, Evolution Travel was among 1,000 companies warned by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that they might face penalties if they or their representatives made “misleading, or deceptive representations” regarding a “money-making opportunity.”
Kovacic stated that a company that “defied” FTC warnings and continued these practices would be a “suitable candidate for an investigation.”
CBC News discovered numerous online complaints about companies associated with the job postings. (Illustration: Matthew Hoddy/CBC, Reddit, Better Business Bureau)
Ron Archer, the CEO of Archer Travel Services, stated that the company does “not endorse illegal job postings and addresses them when we are made aware.”
Nevertheless, videos surfaced online where travel agents linked to Evolution Travel openly discussed utilizing LinkedIn job postings to recruit individuals into the venture.
Archer mentioned they cannot dictate “how they train for their business” because they have “27,000 independent contractors globally.”
“LinkedIn is a significant platform,” said one member in a June 2026 training video uploaded to YouTube. “We have numerous trainings on how to post on LinkedIn.”
Jay Jones, who has successfully had thousands of job listings removed from platforms, remarked that sites like LinkedIn and Monster profit from this influx of traffic.
“There’s no real vetting of which companies can be established or what job listings can be made,” Jones noted. “Individuals coming [to LinkedIn] in search of real opportunities are met 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