When job hunter becomes the prey

When a Bengaluru-based engineering graduate landed a work-from-home job through LinkedIn, he felt that his dream had come true. The recruiter promised a lucrative salary, quick onboarding, and flexible hours. But within days of joining, he was asked to purchase equipment through a vendor recommended by the company.

He used his own money to get the equipment and a cheque was sent to reimburse him. When the cheque bounced, the dream quickly turned sour.

Social media platforms are abuzz about such job scams that are becoming increasingly common.

National Cyber Security Scholar and Cybercrime Intervention Officer Chetan Anand tells BM that he has helped three victims of job fraud whose accounts got hacked, restore access to their accounts. “Most are unaware of the recovery process and often realise they have been scammed only after losing access. Cyber criminals are increasingly using fake job opportunities on professional networking platforms to target students and job seekers,” he said.

As more students and professionals rely on online platforms to find jobs, cybercriminals too make these their hunting grounds. Fresh graduates and job seekers are often under pressure to secure employment quickly, making them more likely to trust attractive job offers that promise high salaries, flexible work arrangements, quick hiring, or work-from-home opportunities.

A LinkedIn mediasource report published on May 6, 2026, cited research by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, which found that 70% of adults worldwide encounter scams every year, while 13% face scam attempts daily. According to the study, 32% of Gen Z had been exposed to job scams, while an equal percentage admitted ignoring warning signs because of pressure to find work in a competitive job market.

How the scam works
According to Chetan Anand, these scams usually begin with fraudsters pretending to be recruiters or hiring managers. They attract job seekers by offering high salaries, easy work, work-from-home jobs, internships with good stipends, or instant hiring opportunities. Scammers often target people who have enabled the “Open to Work” feature on LinkedIn. They contact victims through the job portals’ emails, or messaging services, claiming to represent reputed companies. Many candidates are told they have been selected for a job without even attending a proper interview.

Chetan Anand said one of the biggest warning signs is when candidates are asked to visit fake onboarding websites or fill out verification forms that closely resemble those used by genuine companies. He pointed out that scammers often try to make their process look legitimate. A press release by LinkedIn noted that employment scams most commonly occur during the initial contact stage, with 90% of reported cases involving attempts to move conversations away from the LinkedIn platform to other messaging apps or communication channels where safety checks and account verification become more difficult. More than half of such requests occur in the very first message, before any genuine relationship or trust has been established.