By The Midtown Times Staff | Adapted from reporting by Shannon Pettypiece, NBC News
NEW YORK — As millions of Americans search for stable work amid a sluggish job market, a new and deeply deceptive threat has emerged: online job scams so realistic they’re nearly impossible to detect.
According to a detailed investigation by Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News, cybercriminals are posing as recruiters and posting fake job listings on trusted platforms such as LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter, tricking even highly educated, tech-savvy professionals into sharing personal information or sending money.
The Rise of High-Tech Deception
These scams go far beyond the clumsy, typo-filled job offers that circulated during the pandemic. Instead, they use spoofed corporate emails, cloned job descriptions, and realistic recruiter profiles to impersonate companies like J.P. Morgan, Arc’teryx, and other major brands.
“These fakes look so real and so legitimate, it’s almost impossible for job seekers to tell the difference,” said Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit that supports fraud victims.
Scammers often convince victims to provide sensitive data, such as Social Security numbers, bank details, or credit scores, under the guise of employment verification. In other cases, they ask applicants to buy equipment for remote work, promising reimbursement with a fraudulent check that later bounces, leaving victims out thousands of dollars.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), job-related scams have risen 19% in the past year, costing Americans an estimated $300 million in just the first half of 2025. The average victim loses about $2,000.
Victims Share Their Stories
For Dave Pedersen, a communications executive, the scam began with what seemed like a legitimate email from a recruiter for outdoor clothing company Arc’teryx. The correspondence appeared professional until he noticed the email domain was subtly off. When he contacted the real recruiter through LinkedIn, she confirmed multiple people had fallen for the same fraud.
“I’ve worked in cybersecurity. I thought I’d never be fooled,” Pedersen said. “If someone like me can be targeted, anyone can.”
Andrea Maestas, an administrative assistant in Colorado, nearly fell victim after applying for a position on ZipRecruiter supposedly posted by J.P. Morgan. She received an official-looking email requesting her credit report and links to “verification portals.” Her computer flagged them as unsafe. ZipRecruiter later confirmed the post was a fraudulent listing that had been taken down.
Timothy Brown, a marketing professional, described how his fake recruiter on LinkedIn messaged him about a vice president role at a cryptocurrency company. After exchanging texts and even emojis, he grew suspicious. The company later confirmed to NBC News that no such job existed and that the recruiter’s profile was fake.
“Because LinkedIn feels trustworthy, you start from a place of trust,” Brown said. “That’s what makes these scams so effective.”
A Growing Criminal Network
Cybersecurity experts believe many of these scams are orchestrated by criminal organizations in Southeast Asia, including groups tied to romance and cryptocurrency fraud rings. Some cases have even involved North Korean hackers posing as recruiters, according to recent reports by Reuters.
The scams rely on what experts call “social engineering” — exploiting emotion, hope, and vulnerability during tough economic times.
“It’s all about manipulating human trust,” said Selena Larson, senior threat analyst at Proofpoint. “These operations prey on the very people who are most desperate to get back to work.”
A Market of Desperation
The surge in scams coincides with the highest level of long-term unemployment since 2022. Roughly 2 million Americans have been jobless for six months or longer, while overall job growth has slowed to an average of just 29,000 new positions per month.
Even when money isn’t stolen, Velasquez warns that stolen data is just as valuable. Résumés and interview documents often contain enough personal information to build false identities or conduct future scams.
Platforms Respond, But the Fight Continues
Both LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter claim to be investing heavily in fraud detection and account verification tools.
LinkedIn has expanded its employer and recruiter verification system and encourages users to report suspicious profiles. The company says the majority of fake accounts are now blocked automatically before users encounter them, but acknowledges that vigilance from job seekers remains essential.
“It’s critical that users look for red flags — minimal connections, off-platform communication, or requests for personal data early in the process,” said Oscar Rodriguez, LinkedIn’s vice president of product trust.
Meanwhile, volunteer investigators like Jay Jones, a laid-off copywriter, have taken matters into their own hands. Jones says he has personally reported over 30,000 fake job listings and 7,000 fake recruiter profiles in the past two years.
“People assume every opportunity on a trusted platform must be real,” Jones said. “That false sense of security is exactly what scammers exploit.”
Midtown Times Analysis: A New Digital Threat to the American Worker
The explosion of online job fraud is a grim reflection of both the economic uncertainty and digital dependencydefining the modern labor market. As unemployment stretches longer for millions of Americans, the dream of landing a new position has become a prime target for cybercriminals.
These scams represent more than theft; they’re a form of psychological exploitation, feeding on the anxiety of joblessness and the credibility of platforms built on trust.
While companies enhance security measures, the responsibility increasingly falls on individuals to protect themselves: double-check email domains, verify recruiters directly through official company pages, and never provide financial or personal information before an offer is formally verified.
As one cybersecurity expert put it, “In today’s job market, skepticism isn’t cynicism, it’s survival.”
By the Midtown Times News Desk, Adapted from original reporting by Shannon Pettypiece, NBC News
