How Job Scams Target Job Seekers
Scammers use job boards, email, and social media to manipulate job seekers to steal their money and personal information.
Guest post from Jay Jones, The Profiler
All it takes is misplaced faith in the wrong profile, job, or company, and it could lead to any number of terrible outcomes. This job market is the worst most of us have ever seen. And for scammers, that’s a beautiful thing. They love chaos, misinformation, and desperation, as these things make people more vulnerable to a wide range of scams.
The sheer volume of scams and fake listings damages trust in the entire recruitment ecosystem and harms companies, HR teams, and genuine job seekers.
No matter what the scam is, they all boil down to two things: hope and lack of accountability. Scammers play on the hope their victims have for a positive outcome and use it to their advantage:
Hope the resume writer messaging them is real
Hope the recruiter who says they’re perfect for the role means it
Hope the hiring manager keeps their word and will follow up with them
Hope the career coach is legitimate, and their advice will live up to their promises
Yet, too often, scammers dash the hopes — and sometimes the bank accounts — of job seekers. Offshore scammers rely heavily on AI-generated templates and message millions of people. I always tell job seekers to ask pointed questions of the people who contact them during their job search. It’s not meant to be rude, but from a place of authority, because they still have power even though they’re looking for work.
How Scammers Thrive on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s open platform allows scammers to create fake recruiter profiles and post fraudulent job listings without verification or accountability.
User-generated content overwhelms the system, enabling fake jobs and profiles to proliferate unchecked.
Search and matching algorithms prioritize sponsored and promoted jobs or those with high engagement or volume. The emphasis on dollars and numbers instead of authenticity helps scams spread.
LinkedIn’s detection systems struggle to identify repeated reposting of fake jobs and fail to detect impersonation, whether they use sophisticated or even obvious tactics.
The lack of transparent, stringent consequences for scammers limits deterrence.
User education about how to identify and avoid scams is superficial, leaving job seekers vulnerable.
After building trust using fake interviews or onboarding, victims are asked for personal information, upfront payments, or to complete tasks like money transfers or package forwarding that support illegal activities. Victims are pressured through urgent deadlines or threats of losing the opportunity if they don’t comply. Scammers may then switch personas, pretending to be an HR representative or manager, to further convince and manipulate victims.
Some individuals are deceived into sharing job-board account access through passwords or verification codes, which scammers use to target their personal contacts. Scammers use psychological manipulation, isolation, or escalating threats to coerce victims to participate, especially once they’re unknowingly involved in illegal acts. Ultimately, many are tasked with payment processing or recruiting others, which pulls them deeper into fraudulent schemes while they believe it’s legitimate work.
Different Ways Scammers Target Job Seekers
There are several scams infesting the job market, some of which I’ve detailed below.
Home equipment reimbursement
Background and security checks
Task-based scams
“Beat the ATS” resume job scam
Job referral scams
LinkedIn profile optimization scams
Relocation into forced scam servitude
Home Equipment Reimbursement Scams
This scam starts after a job seeker accepts an offer for a remote job. The scammers say they’ll reimburse you for purchasing specific equipment you’ll need for the job. They’ll direct you to use one of their “approved vendors.” When you use your credit or debit card for the purchase, they log your payment details and run up as many charges as possible. Unsuspecting victims believe the reimbursement check will cover what they spend. While you’re waiting for the check to arrive (if it does) and clear (which it won’t), the scammers use the time to steal as much as they can from you.
Background and Security Check Scams
Scammers use advance-fee scams to trick you into paying up front for the promise of something of greater value later. In job scams, bad actors tell job seekers they need to pay for a background or security check before they can apply for a job or qualify for hiring. This is never how the application process goes. The scammers disappear after you pay the fee. In some cases, they’ll create a fake background check to collect personal information, including your social security number, birthdate, and other details.
Task-Based Scams
Scammers will give applicants tasks, claiming it’s part of the hiring process. These offers often begin with unsolicited messages saying you’d be a great fit for their “opportunity.” These tasks typically are “liking” videos or “optimizing” products. This seems like easy money. From there, they’ll give you small payouts to build trust. The scammers escalate by requiring you to invest your own money to continue “working,” with the promise of higher earnings that never come. The goal is to eventually trick you into sending money you can’t recover, often using cryptocurrency.
Job Referral Scams
Given the pressure and awareness I’ve brought to the number of fake accounts on the platform, many scammers have pivoted to hijacking existing verified and Premium accounts. They leverage the account’s longstanding history, verification status, and quality connections to improve the likelihood that their scams will succeed. For example, I was recently tagged in a post by a gentleman who received a message from a friend asking him to repost a job listing. He didn’t realize that his friend’s account had been hijacked. The scammer relied on the trust he had in his friend to post a fake job to his own 30,000 followers. (Learn more about the case.)
LinkedIn Profile Optimization Scams
Scammers prey on job seekers who feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to increase their chances of finding work. The three most important things at the beginning of any LinkedIn job search are: your resume, your network, and the setup of your profile. This is where optimization comes in. Real professionals work with you to improve your profile visibility and opportunities. Scammers pretend to do the same. They tell you they just need your login credentials to make the changes for you. Once they have your information, they change your email and password to lock you out and start scamming in your name.
Relocation Scams
One of the most insidious scams involves “dream jobs” that offer relocation, usually a hospitality role in another country. Scammers lead victims to believe they’re moving to an exciting place for a high-paying job. In reality, once they arrive, the scammers take the victims’ passports and transport them to scam compounds where they’re forced to commit scams. Victims are threatened, physically assaulted, or much worse.
Relocation scams are more prominent in China, Southeast Asia, Africa, and other regions beyond the United States. But international scam rings use U.S. job boards, fake company websites, social media, and even direct social engineering to recruit people. Scammers impersonate legitimate recruiters or companies, reaching out through job sites like LinkedIn, e-mail, and messaging platforms to offer flexible, high-paying jobs with minimal requirements.
Five Ways to Protect Yourself in the Online Job Search
1. Verify job and recruiter authenticity. Always check the hiring company’s official careers page on its website and confirm the recruiter’s identity through professional channels before engaging.
2. Ask pointed questions with confidence. Approach recruiters and job contacts with clear, authoritative questions to test their legitimacy and maintain control in the process.
3. Watch for common scam tactics. Be aware of task-based scams, job referral scams, and profile optimization scams, which exploit the hope of job seekers and the lack of accountability for scammers.
4. Protect your personal information. Don’t post your resume publicly online. Only share it with real recruiters. Never share login credentials, financial information, or sensitive data without thorough verification of the opportunity.
5. Report suspicious activity. Alert platforms and your personal network about fake jobs, hijacked accounts, or fraudulent messages to help protect others and reduce scam impact.
Author Bio
Jay Jones is a globally recognized copywriter, cybercrime investigator, and fraud prevention expert, best known as “The Profiler.” He’s removed 32,640 fake jobs and 7,000+ fraudulent profiles from LinkedIn, protecting thousands worldwide. He’s internationally known and a pioneer in platform accountability, with his work featured on NBC and Yahoo News. Visit www.theprofiler.org
#TheProfiler 🕵🏾♂️
Meet Jay Jones on Episode 27 of the Stolen podcast with Erin West.
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