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Fake job offers increase, how to protect yourself

November 11, 2024 – Published on 12News Phoenix, AZ

Fake job offers are now one of the most prolific and fastest-growing scams in the U.S.

“When you get a text, somebody offers you a job, you feel like, oh, somebody likes you… they’ve noticed your talent,” said Susan Tompor, who recalls getting a text that sounded appealing earlier this year.

The person claimed to be a recruiter from a major employment site and was ready to offer her a work-from-home position that paid up to $1,000 a day. Fortunately, Tompor is a journalist, and she recognized the offer was a scam because the sender wanted to talk on the encrypted messaging platform WhatsApp.

“Everyday recruiters are not going to talk to you by an app,” she said. “They’re not using messaging apps, where they can do some hiding, like Telegram or WhatsApp or Google Chat.”

“Honestly, I get two or three of those a week myself,” said Paul Keener, a cybersecurity strategist with GuidePoint Security.

Keener says scammers often look for opportunities to get money or credentials from someone who’s in a vulnerable situation, “because somebody lost their job, and so now they’re kind of in a desperate situation, or maybe not desperate, but unexpected,” he said.

Keener says anytime there’s a natural disaster, workers are at risk of becoming a target, too.

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