(PatriotsUnited.org) – Last year, there was a significant uptick in the number of job scams that utilized AI to deceive victims into handing over their money and personal information.
Criminals pose as recruiters and post false job ads. Sensitive information is stolen during the “interview” part. These bogus posts make it harder to tell reality from fiction, especially when they appear on ostensibly respectable job search platforms.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), the number of reports of job scams increased by 118% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace users are among the fertile grounds for scammers to find their marks.
According to the ITRC, LinkedIn and other job-seeking sites were the most common pathways for these types of thefts in 2023.
As far as phony job interviews are concerned, a “big red flag” is when a “recruiter” talks to a “potential employee” over text message or a messaging app like WhatsApp and never meets in person.
Hackers and other bad actors who target enterprises and customers have a huge edge because of AI systems’ ever-improving capabilities. The ability to make human-like writing, digitally clone loved ones’ voices and features, and scale behavioral-driven attacks has opened the floodgates for cybercrimes.
Con artists target people looking for work by posting fake job ads online or by contacting them and saying they were scouted for a job. The thieves will ask for personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, or ID.me login credentials.
After the victim believes they have scheduled a valid interview with the con artists, the process is moved off of the original platform to email, text, video conferencing, or a third-party messaging app. The next step is to inform the victim that they will be required to fill out paperwork and present identification.
Victims often failed to realize a scam was taking place until they had already provided their information and were either asked to enter their ID.me login credentials or waited for a response after constantly hearing from the corporation.
In addition to job queries, scammers often prey on people using online marketplaces to get sensitive information, such as contact details for a roommate, a puppy for sale, or a missing pet.
Always be wary when giving out any sensitive information online.
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