Employment Scams Continue To Target Job Seekers

Summary

The NJCCIC continues to observe employment scams in which job seekers are targeted with fake job offers, often with the intent to collect PII that can be used to commit fraud, steal funds, and other malicious activity. Examples of job scams include work-from-home or remote work, virtual personal assistant, and government or nonprofit positions. Additionally, threat actors frequently  target educational institutions, particularly college students and recent graduates who may be more open to flexible, remote work opportunities and the promise of quick cash.

Emails in this campaign may contain attachments claiming to be resumes or other employment information and links to fraudulent employment websites. Tactics used in these employment scams include urgent requests to respond; offers that are “too good to be true;" upfront requests for PII or financial information; requests for money before receiving a job offer; the use of unofficial communication methods, such as personal email accounts, noncompany email domains, and social media apps; and the impersonation of human resources recruiters, talent acquisition personnel, and department managers.

Recommendations

The NJCCIC advises users to avoid clicking links and opening attachments from unknown senders and exercise caution with emails from known senders. If an email’s legitimacy is unknown, contact the sender via a separate means of communication – such as by phone – before taking action. Navigate directly to websites for authentic job postings by manually typing the URL into a browser instead of clicking on links delivered in communications to ensure visited websites are legitimate. In addition, job seekers are advised to examine potential offers by contacting the human resources department directly via official contact information and research potential employers and businesses online to determine if others have reported a scam before responding and providing sensitive information. Additional information on job scams can be found on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website.

If victimized, report the scam directly to the respective employment listing service, the FTC, and the NJCCIC. In the event of theft or PII compromise, contact your local law enforcement department. Review the  Identity Theft and Compromised PII NJCCIC Informational Report for additional recommendations and resources, including credit freezes and enabling MFA on accounts.