CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cyber security experts are sounding the alarm and working to help protect your identity and most personal information.
It comes as fake job offers and employment scams are reaching record highs.
Coming out of the pandemic, many job seekers are jumping jobs and getting bored in their current positions.
Crooks are well aware and they're using the same job sites you're searching.
Last year, job scams surged by more than 118% compared to the prior year, according to the ID Theft Resource Center.
Popular job site—LinkedIn reported blocking well over 63 million fake accounts on its platform.
Experts say Artificial Intelligence has made it so much easier for scammers to grab your personal information.
They stress that you should do your homework and double-check who you're speaking with and the company that is offering the job.
"I'm still looking, man... I'm still looking," Jalen Hobson, Cleveland State University student, said.
Hobson is on the hunt for the perfect job.
Like so many people we spoke with, he has been coming up short.
"I really try a bit of everything. If I see something that says hiring, I'll go in, check it out and I'll also try online. It's hard though," Hobson said.
As a student on a budget, he's becoming increasingly frustrated by the surge in bogus and fake job postings online.
And he's not alone.
"It's really becoming a problem. You really gotta look out for it. Especially online cause it's so easy to make something fake or have a bot do it," Demetrius Ross, Cleveland State University student, said.
"That's just baffling to say the least. I'm speechless. Honestly. That's honestly awful--especially with inflation. People actually need these jobs," Hobson said.
Crooks use ChatGPT and other software to write up fake postings—and publish them on social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Indeed.
That's if the posts make it through the site's filtering systems.
"It's become actually a mission, just to mention LinkedIn, they actually catch 99% of fake accounts, which actually in 2022 they found 60 million fake accounts," Chris Warner, a Cyber Security Strategist, said.
The postings typically promise high pay, flexible hours and remote work.
There's typically no major prior experience required in the field—which is a huge red flag.
"Just enter in what you need and create a very realistic job offering, and it could be targeted to specific individuals because the bad actors will actually do the research and find you on LinkedIn or other types of job opportunity websites," Warner said.
Warner has watched the scams become more and more elaborate over the last 20-plus years.
With AI—the wording and language may sometimes sound robotic and call you "sir" or "dear."
Technological advances have given crooks the upper hand, and he says they have even pushed it to the interview process.
He says it seems so real because there's an alleged recruiter who wants to hire you.
"So they are able to emulate a family member's voice or also maybe someone you may be familiar with, and if they do call you or you're on a video conference, they're able to set that up to make it look as real as possible when it's completely fake," Warner said.
Warner says to do your homework from the start.
If you're asked to share your social security number and banking information or pay for anything, get out.
"Asking for a payment for equipment or training up front is obviously not something that's typical, and that would be one of your first red flags," Warner said.
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Hobson said.
Warner says it's vital to report the bogus companies to the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and other entities.
In addition, he says don't be afraid to check Facebook and social media groups to see if other applicants have experienced similar issues with the company in question.
Word of mouth and communication with others are among the best ways to beat out scammers.
To report a job scam, click here: File a Complaint | Consumer Complaints | Better Business Bureau®
