Fake Job Listings, Phony Interviews, and Other Common Job Search Scams

Ever been scrolling through job listings only to come across the seemingly perfect role? It matches your skillset, pays an incredibly high salary, and offers a remote work schedule. You submit your application only to find that something seems off—they ask for financial information upfront, the job description doesn’t match the listing, or the hiring manager’s emails are full of mistakes and confusing language. Yes friends, you may have come into contact with a scammer. Here’s what you need to know.

Not all job descriptions are created with honest intentions. Scammers often post fake job listings to harvest resumes, gather personal information, or bait applicants into clicking malicious links. Worse yet, some scammers may even impersonate real companies using their logos and language to appear legitimate.

Be on the lookout for vague or generic lists of job responsibilities such as “data entry” or “remote assistant” that fail to provide specifics. Another red flag is a job description promising overly high pay for minimal experience. Of course, you should also be cautious about job listings that don’t include contact information or links, or that have poor grammar and other inconsistencies.

A good rule of thumb is if a job listing seems off, take some time to conduct an internet search to determine whether the job opening appears on the company’s official careers page. If it doesn’t, there’s a good chance it’s a scam.

Some companies will actually post job listings as a way to test market interest, gather resumes for future use, or just to appear active. In certain cases, the job may already be filled or may never have existed in the first place.

This can be incredibly frustrating for job seekers, especially when they’ve gone through multiple extended interview rounds before realizing the employer was never serious about hiring anybody. Keep your eyes open for jobs that have been listed for months or that have been reposted over and over again.

Other signs a company isn’t really hiring might include vague interactions with the hiring manager or being asked to take multiple tests or fill out countless forms (sometimes this equates to you doing unpaid work for the “employer”), especially when there’s little to no follow-up.

If you get an interview request minutes after applying or before you’ve spoken to a real person, you might be dealing with a fake recruiter. That's right, these scams often involve emails, messaging apps like WhatsApp, and even phone calls. Unbelievably, these scammers may actually conduct “virtual interviews” that lead nowhere.

Signs to watch out for include interviews that are conducted via text or chat with no video or phone calls, or “recruiters” who use personal emails (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.). Along with this, be particularly careful about individuals who immediately ask you for sensitive information such as your Social Security Number or banking details, or who ask you to buy equipment with the promise of being reimbursed later.

Companies and recruiters who are legitimate will never ask for personal or financial information before the onboarding process, and they certainly won’t ask you to front money for equipment.

Receiving a job offer is exciting, but if the details are confusing or otherwise seem questionable, don’t ignore it. Some scammers send fake offer letters with official-looking logos, urging candidates to sign quickly before discussing terms of employment.

Once again, these types of scams may ask you to send personal identification, bank information for “direct deposit,” or perhaps even a processing fee. Remember, no honest company would do any of these things.

If you’re unsure, call the company directly using the contact number listed on their official website and confirm the person you’re speaking with is actually employed there and authorized to make offers.

Just because there are so many scams out there doesn’t mean job seekers need to live in fear. Here are some tips to help you avoid getting caught in a scam:

During a job search, you’re already navigating resumes, cover letters, follow-up emails, and interviews—you shouldn’t have to worry about scammers. Unfortunately, these types of scams are a reality so staying sharp during your job search is incredibly important.

There are some legit organizations doing shenanigans. I had a couple of incidents with CyberCoders. One was a recruiter contacted me to see if I would be interested in a job (without telling me WHO the job was with, but told me it was near me). I told her I was, sent her my resume at which point she stopped responding. After a few days I started googling sentences from the job listing and found the job listing. It was in Monterrey Mexico, and was closed already. (There were very unique sentences in the job listing, so it was easy to isolate). When I sent her an e-mail linking to the job listing and asking what kind of game she was playing she responded that that was NOT the job she had. (And then went back to not responding).

A month or so later I get an e-mail from a different recruiter at CyberCoders asking if I’d be interested in this OTHER job. I got him on the phone before I sent him my resume and got him to tell me the company. I checked their website, and they DID have the job he was talking about. So, I figured he has a connection in the company, I sent him my resume. At which point he stopped responding. “Voicemail is full”, no response on e-mails, and if you call the CyberCoders office and ask for him you get sent to the full voicemail. I waited 2 weeks, and then contacted the company directly. They e-mailed me back the next day to set up an interview 2 days later, and I got the job. The first week I had to visit the office in Arizona, and I asked my manager about CyberCoders, and he said he’d never heard of them. During that week the recruiter reaches out to say that he’s talking to a guy at the company, but hasn’t gotten any response about my resume. I ask for the guy’s name. He gives it to me. That guy is sitting next to me. I ask him: “Do you know CyberCoders?” No “Have you ever heard this name?” No. I confront the recruiter “This guy says he’s never heard of you”. He then says “You’re not there, you’re just making this up. I’m talking to this guy”. So I walk to the lobby, and take a selfie of me standing in front of the logo on the wall, and send it to him. Along with a nasty note that I didn’t appreciate him lying to me and wasting my time. And he had the nerve to ask “Why are you mad?”

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