(CBS, KYMA/KECY) – Fake job ads or “ghost jobs” continue to pop up online, frustrating real job seekers across the country.

A recent survey by Resume Builder found nearly 40% of companies admitted to posting fake job listings, or ghosts jobs, within the past year, with no intent to actually hire.

Sometimes the postings can stay up for weeks or even months.

Career coach Erin McGoff shared some tips on how to spot and avoid these phony postings:

“If the job has been up for a while, like longer than 60 to 90 days, that could be a red flag. If there’s a really high number of applicants, like 1,000+ applicants, and also if the job description is kind of vague, like if you’re just like what they want a superstar sales guru, like it just doesn’t sit right with you, listen to your gut.”

Another way to spot a ghost job is to cross reference the role with the company’s website careers page, or reach out to the recruiter to ask if the posting is legit.