Ridvan Sellick | Electronic+ | Getty Images
Employment scams have surged in the last year, with criminals using artificial intelligence to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting job applicants, experts say.
Consumer reports of job scams increased 118% in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to a survey recent reports Courtesy of Identity Theft Resource Center.
Thieves often pose as recruiters, post fake job listings to attract job applicants, and then steal valuable information during the “interview” process.
The ITRC said they usually place these fake job postings on reputable websites such as LinkedIn and other job search platforms, making it difficult for people to distinguish the real ones from the fake ones.
The average victim loses about $2,000
The main danger is the disclosure of information about financial accounts or sensitive personal data (such as Social Security numbers), which criminals can use to steal a job applicant’s identity.
consumer Report missing According to the Federal Trade Commission, employment and business opportunity scams will reach $367 million by 2022, an annual increase of 76%.
The typical victim lost a “significant” $2,000, the FTC said.
Employment scams are not the most common scams: By 2023, they will account for only 9% of all identity frauds, second only to Google Voice ScamA total of 60%, ITRC said. (Google Voice scams trick people into sharing Google verification codes, which scammers can use for nefarious purposes. They typically target users on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.)
However, ITRC President and CEO Eva Velasquez said employment scams are an “emerging” threat.
“Job scams have been around for as long as there have been job opportunities,” Velasquez said. “(But) they will continue to grow because of a lot of external factors that are going on.”
Artificial intelligence and remote work fuel the growth of employment scams
Experts say advances in artificial intelligence are one of them: They allow scammers to generate job listings and recruiting pitches that look and feel more legitimate.
“AI tools help refine ‘pitch’, making it more believable, and bridge cultural and grammatical differences in language usage,” the ITRC report said.
more importantly, The rise of remote work during the pandemic has made workers and job seekers more comfortable with digital-only transactions, Velazquez said.
Velasquez said job seekers may never meet a real person during a fake recruitment or interview process: They may only interact with the alleged recruiter through text messages or WhatsApp messages, which is a “big red flag.”
She said recent college graduates, immigrants or others new to the U.S. workforce may view such digital-only recruiting as normal, especially for fully remote jobs. But she added that recruitment doesn’t usually work that way.
How job scams trick you
Scammers will “Force you to ask for money“During the hiring process, the FTC stated.
They may send invoices for prepaid on-the-job equipment (such as computers) or job training costs. According to the federal agency, they promise you will be compensated, but they won’t.
The FTC says scammers may also ask you to provide personal information up front, such as your driver’s license, Social Security number or bank account details, in order to fill out “employment documents.”
More from Personal Finance:
Why job skills can make or break your next interview
Why a return to the office in five days is unlikely
Job market remains strong, but ‘competition intensifies’
“Scammers will promise you a good job, but what they really want is your money and your personal information,” New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez said in a statement. Consumer Alert This year.
Velasquez said job seekers should not expect to have to hand over personal information before receiving and accepting a job offer. (While this is a good legality screen, it may not provide a guarantee of safety in all situations, she said.)
How to protect yourself from job scams
Ultimately, “there is no reliable way to detect” job offer scams, according to Filed with the Federal Trade Commission.
Here’s what you should know and how to better protect yourself, according to Velasquez and the FTC:
- Don’t get a false sense of security from reputable job search platforms.
- Independently verify that the company exists and is hiring. Don’t accept a job offer before completing your own research.
- Be careful if you don’t proactively contact a prospective employer or recruiter. Instead, contact the company directly using legitimate contact information you know.
- Velasquez said the application process typically requires only limited personal information: name, phone number, employment and education history, and perhaps email and home address.
- Purely digital interaction is a red flag. However, a phone call is no guarantee of security.
- An honest employer wouldn’t send you a check to buy supplies or anything else and then ask you to give back the rest of the money. This is a fake check scam.
- Be wary of things that sound too good to be true. For example, a job ad for a 100% remote job that requires few skills and a high salary “is unrealistic,” Velasquez said.
About The Author
