You didn’t get the job. Worse yet, you got scammed. That’s because the opening was never real. It was a job scam from the beginning. While we’ve seen scams on LinkedIn and other job boards for some time, the malicious use of AI tools has made it worse, evolving into activities like these:

  • Thousands of phony job listings written by AI chatbots
  • Bogus social media profiles, many also created with AI, posing as recruiters
  • Scam texts and emails featuring non-existent job offers
  • Fake interviews held entirely online, and all masking the identity of the scammers behind them.

The people behind job scams want the same old things: your money and your personal info for identity theft. In some cases, they want you to launder money or pass along bad checks, all under the guise of signing up for onboard training and materials.

Learn to spot a job scam

As the global job market faces unprecedented changes, scammers see this as an opportunity to exploit job seekers on career platforms such as LinkedIn. Understanding how to identify these scams is essential for anyone using LinkedIn and other channels to stay safe while advancing their career or searching for new opportunities.

They ask for your Social Security or tax ID number

In the hands of a scammer, your Social Security Number (SSN) or tax ID is the primary key to your identity. With these pieces of data, they can open bank cards, lines of credit, apply for insurance benefits, collect benefits and file tax returns, or even commit crimes, all in your name. The only time you should provide your SSN or tax ID is when you have verified and accepted a legitimate job with a legitimate company, and through a secure document signing service. Never via email, text, or over the phone.

They want your banking information

Another trick scammers rely on is asking for bank account info so that they can wire a payment to you. As with the SSN scam, closely guard this info and treat it in the same way. Don’t give it out unless you actually have a verifiable job with a genuine company.

They want you to pay before you get paid

Some scammers will take a different route. They’ll promise employment, but first you’ll need to pay them for training, onboarding, or equipment before you can start work. Reputable companies won’t make these kinds of requests.

More red flags in the job offer itself

1) The offer is big on promises but short on details

You can sniff out many online job scams with the “too good to be true” test. High pay, low hours, and even offers of things like a laptop and other perks might be the signs of a scam. When pressed for details, some scammers offer an answer full of holes or no reply at all.

2) They communicate only through email or chat

Job scammers use the anonymity of the internet to their advantage, so they might not agree to a video chat or call. But AI tools have changed the game here somewhat. Sophisticated scammers can create real-time deepfakes that overlay faces and voices over a scammer’s face and voice in video calls.

3) Things move too quickly

Scammers love to keep their scams moving along at a good clip. They want to cash in quickly and switch to their next victim. Pay close attention if the recruiter starts asking for personal info or money almost right away. It might be a scam.

Further ways you can protect yourself from job scams

Do a little background check of their company or employment agency online, as you would if you were prepping for an interview. Look at their history, what they do, industry track record, and their locations. Online reviews can help, as can a quick search online with the company’s name followed by “scam.” If you are in the U.S. and want to dig deeper, the Better Business Bureau offers a searchable listing of local businesses. That includes a brief profile, rating, and even a list of complaints filed against them, and company responses. Internationally, you can turn to organizations like S&P Global Ratings and the Dun and Bradstreet Corporation, which provide detailed background information, though access may require creating an account.

Lastly, protect yourself and your devices

Given the way we rely so heavily on the internet to get things done, comprehensive online protection software that looks out for your identity, privacy, and devices is a must. Specific to job scams, it can help you in several ways:

  • Scammers still use links to malicious sites to trick people into providing their personal info. Web protection, included in our plans, can steer you clear of those links.
  • Scammers love sending texts with links to suspicious sites to steal personal info. Our Scam Detector can block those links and prevent you from clicking on them, while AI technology automatically scans URLs in text messages to detect scams. If you accidentally click a bad link, it’ll block a risky site.

Aside from LinkedIn and other job boards, scammers collect info on would-be victims from data broker sites, which amass thousands of data points on billions of people for a highly tailored attack. McAfee’s Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites, shows you which ones are selling your personal info, and, depending on your plan, can help you remove it.