As AI begins to fill a larger role in our daily lives, it can be easy to overlook where the technology might be overstepping. In the job market, advanced technology has begun to automate tedious data entry and analytical roles, but how does the system operate on job-finding sites? Spaces like Indeed and LinkedIn have seen an uptick in artificial profiles and fake recruiters, making your application a drop in the bucket and hard to distinguish for authenticity. 

Have you noticed difficulty finding jobs or navigating suspicious texts from recruiters with a too-good-to-be-true job offer? The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice warns about scammers disguised as well-known companies, posing to steal your money and information. Scams that often come in the form of emails or texts often look like this:

 “Hi there! Sorry to interrupt. I’m from Indeed. We’re currently recruiting remote product testers (U.S.-based). This role lets you earn $50–$400 per day by spending just 60–120 minutes daily testing and reviewing new products or services online.” 

An article on LinkedIn by Arun Vishwanath describes the use of AI by scammers. “They are deploying AI-generated recruiters, deepfake job interviews, and algorithmically optimized hiring scams that are indistinguishable from reality.”

How To Tell the Difference

These types of messages from sites claiming to be linked to Indeed and LinkedIn are often in group chats with several other phone numbers. Alexander Sammon’s describes his encounter with this type of scam. He writes in an article from Slate, “This one came from an iMessage account with a +63 country code—the Philippines, which has certain associations with digital scammery—and arrived in the form of a group chat, with two other unfamiliar numbers. Despite our apparently exceptional individual qualifications, they hadn’t even bothered to single us out with separate messages.”

The Effects of AI On the Other End

Companies listing jobs and looking for help are also finding it difficult to navigate around scammers and the use of AI. “The Justice Department has uncovered multiple networks in which North Koreans used fake identities to land remote jobs in the U.S. They often use AI to build fake identities and work U.S.-based IT jobs to funnel U.S. dollars to their home country.” According to research and advisory firm Gartner, “An estimated one in four job applicants will be fake by 2028.”

In an article by CBS News about AI in the job market, Dawid Moczadlo, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Vidoc Security, was interviewed about his experience. “I felt a little bit violated, because we are the security experts.” Vidoc’s co-founders have since been inspired to help guide HR professionals to better spot fraudulent applications.

The fear of AI aid for scammers can be cause for concern for both employers and applicants. Extra precautions should be taken when using job-finding sites. Experts say it’s best to use these sites as a guide to find who is hiring, and then reach out to the company directly through the information directly provided on their websites. 

The FTC has resources to help you spot job scams. If you spot a scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.