I'm a recruiter for a major consulting company. I recruit for contract roles.
Not trying to give a sales pitch, but no job is permanent. Most jobs pitched "contract-to-hire" are 3-4 months on contract. If you don't suck, you get the job. It really limits your opportunities if you go direct hire only, and you usually don't end up with the best match because interviewing can never compare to actually doing the job for a few months.
Staffing has very high turnover, so you get a lot of numbskulls calling you. The key is to develop longstanding relationships with good people you trust. Typically one or two rounds on Monster, getting 50 calls and meeting a bunch of recruiters, you can find the 3-4 you want to work with long-term.
Recruiting is sales, so if the job isn't "real" you likely won't get called on it. I prioritize what can close this week, so the 'hottest' job orders are what I work on. My time is valuable and I wouldn't call you to chat about a fake position.
Companies pay our bills, not you. Just like any other company we need to offer competitive pay or we wouldn't get any employees.
Finding a job on your own is not always a better idea. Most companies are terrible at hiring, and often set people up to fail because they are clueless. Consulting companies do this all day, every day, for a living, and they are pretty good at qualifying who will work and who will not.