How to handle staffing company spam

I want to share something I recently experienced that could help someone else avoid being caught off guard. Scammers are no longer hiding behind poorly written emails or obvious fake offers. They’ve changed strategy. Now, they use the names of real people in reputable companies and craft messages that look professional, polished, and almost convincing. I received an email from someone claiming to be a Talent Acquisition Manager at Lumen Technologies. The message was detailed, personalized, and even referenced my LinkedIn profile and professional work. At first glance, it felt legitimate. But then I noticed the red flag: - The email came from danielle.gray.lumen.manager@gmail.com instead of a verified corporate domain like @lumen.com. That was the giveaway—it was a scam. This is the same trick I saw in Frank Anwana, MBA. post last week: it looked real, but the scammer slipped up on the email details. 💡 How to Spot Fake Recruiter/Job Scam Emails: 1. Check the Email Address – real recruiters use company domains (e.g., @microsoft.com, @lumen.com), not Gmail/Yahoo. 2. Look for Overly Generic Praise – scammers often exaggerate your achievements without specifics. 3. Verify on LinkedIn – cross-check if the recruiter exists and works at the company. Don’t rely only on the email signature. 4. Beware of Urgency or Suspicious Links – if they rush you to click, apply, or share details, pause immediately. 5. Trust Your Gut – if something feels off, it probably is. Scammers are getting smarter, but we can be smarter too. Slow down, double-check, and verify before you respond. PS : Lumen Technologies please take note. Someone is impersonating your company and using your ex-staff Danielle Gray to run this scam Br, Segun Sobodu

It is such a tough market right now, and the last thing job seekers need is scammers trying to take advantage of that stress. 💯 When you’re already juggling applications, interviews, and bills, getting those fake “job offers” or shady recruiter messages can feel like an extra punch in the gut. It’s frustrating because they prey on hope and urgency. 🚨 Job Scam Spotting Checklist ✅ Research the Company • Look for a legitimate website (with a careers page). • Check LinkedIn for employees who actually work there. • Google the company name + “scam” to see if warnings pop up. ✅ Verify the Recruiter • Real recruiters will use a company email (not Gmail/Yahoo/Outlook). • Look up their name on LinkedIn to confirm they’re legit. ✅ Check the Job Posting • Be cautious if the posting has poor grammar, vague details, or unrealistic pay. • Cross-check on the company’s official careers site. ✅ Watch for Red Flags • Asking for money upfront (training, equipment, “processing fees”). • Offering the job immediately without an interview. • Pushing you to act urgently or keep things “confidential.” • Only communicating by text/WhatsApp/Telegram with no video call. ✅ Protect Your Information • Never share banking info, SSN, or full personal details until you’ve verified the employer. • Only fill out official applications through secure company portals. 🌟 Rule of Thumb: If it feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut—real opportunities can handle your questions and verification.

Scams. The job search is already hard enough without scammers, but they're getting increasingly more sophisticated. Here's how to spot and avoid them: One of my clients last week forwarded me and email notification she had received via a LinkedIn message. The person sending her a message seemed legit. His profile showed that he worked for a recruitment company, and his message referenced a job title that my client was pursuing. Upon Googling the recruitment company name, it seemed ok, but I saw that others had experienced some strange interactions with this company in the past. That's enough of a red flag to proceed with caution. I advised my client to request this person to email her directly from his company email address, and we haven't heard back since... This serves as an important lesson for all job hunters. Scams aren't as obvious anymore, as now scammers are finding ways to impersonate REAL employees and REAL companies. Here are some other things to look out for: 1) Always make sure that conversations are coming from a legitimate company email address. Not Gmail. Not Yahoo. Not LinkedIn Messages or InMail. 2) Check the LI profile carefully. Look for things such as: -generic stock photo (or no photo) -no real work history or vague titles -very few connections or followers Sometimes scammers steal headshots from the internet. You can use Google’s reverse image search to see if the photo shows up elsewhere. 3) Search for the job directly on the company’s career site. If the recruiter is legit, the job should appear on the company's official careers page. If it’s not there, that’s a red flag. 4) Be wary of interviews done only over chat apps (like Telegram or WhatsApp). These types of apps are encrypted and can be used anonymously. Try to opt only for more professional platforms such as Zoom, Teams, etc. 5) The language used in messages are often a dead giveaway. Overly formal phrasing, odd spacing or extra spaces between words, vague descriptions, poor grammar, or phrases like “congratulations, you are shortlisted” without prior communication are red flags. 6) Don’t give out personal info before filling out onboarding paperwork. Your SSN or banking info is NEVER necessary before you've accepted an offer. In my years of career advising, the scams have gone from very obvious to well-disguised, so always be on your toes and trust your gut. If you're ever unsure about the legitimacy of an interaction, reach out to me and I'll help do some due diligence for free!

Scams rarely show up with red flags. They arrive as praise, urgency, and... A Zoom link. Here is how I fight back, one check at a time. Since I started posting seriously, Four “opportunities” fell apart on simple due diligence. Use this field checklist to stay safe. 1. Slow down and breathe. If a message pushes you to act now, pause. 2. Vet the profile. Recent account, Stock photo, Thin history, Odd endorsements, Low activity, Proceed carefully. 3. Cross-check the company. Website, Registry, Press, Team, Jobs, Make sure the story matches outside LinkedIn. 4. Scrutinise offers. High pay for low effort, Upfront fees, Gift cards, Crypto, Walk away. 5. Kill the “tech support” trick. No platform will DM you for passwords, payments, or remote access. 6. Don’t click raw links. Open LinkedIn or the company site yourself, Never through a shortened URL. 7. Keep chats on LinkedIn. Refusing to stay here And pushing to WhatsApp or Telegram Is a pattern. 8. Lock down your account. Strong unique password, 2FA with an authenticator app, Review active sessions. 9. Verify identity. Look for employer-email or ID verification, Ask a specific question only a real person could answer. 10. Report and move on. Block the account, File a report (if you have enough evidence), Tell your bank if money or data moved. Bonus, the 10-second “thought-probe”: Why me. Who is this. What do they want. Where are we talking. Why the rush. 💬 What’s the first red flag you look for when someone new reaches out? 🔗 Follow @The Container Guy, Guillaume Burstert, for real-world solutions to energy challenges. ♻️ Help your network: Like, comment, and repost.

𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺s aren’t just a job seeker problem. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼. Protect your brand, your team, and your candidates. 𝟭) 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: Be upfront about your contact methods. If you don’t use text or messaging apps like WhatsApp, make it clear. Transparency builds trust and creates barriers for scammers. 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Include these details on your careers page, job postings, and social media profiles. 𝟮) 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗺 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀: Add prominent notices to your careers page and social media accounts. Warn candidates about potential scams and tell them how to verify outreach. 𝟯) 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀: Train your HR staff to recognize scam tactics like fake recruiter profiles. Awareness is your first line of defense. 𝟰) 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗨𝗽 𝗮 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Provide an easy way for candidates to verify the authenticity of recruiters and job offers. A dedicated email or phone number can prevent scams. 𝟱) 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀: Regularly search for fraudulent LinkedIn or social media accounts impersonating your recruiters or company. Report and remove them quickly. 𝟲) 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: Encourage candidates and employees to report suspicious interactions. Sharing these insights helps HR teams identify trends and respond quickly to new threats. 𝟳) 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: Use tools to track mentions of your company in recruiting-related scams. Ensure rapid removal of fake profiles or posts impersonating your team. 𝟴) 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Post scam alerts on your website and social channels. Companies like Penguin Random House and TikTok have done this successfully to deter fraudsters and reassure candidates. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: Hiring scams are evolving, but so can your defenses. By staying vigilant and proactive, HR teams can protect their companies, candidates, and reputations. Let’s make hiring safer for everyone. Intelligent Technical Solutions Mike Rhea #HRLeadership #HiringScams #RecruitmentFraud #EmployerReputation #RiskManagement #BusinessProtection #HRBestPractices #Cybersecurity

Recruitment Scams are on the rise - especially via cold WhatsApp messages 😡Don’t get caught out! Here’s some helpful tips: 1) The scammers may claim to be from a reputable agency (see photo below) - if they aren’t specific about the job you have applied for, it’s likely to be a scam. 2) If you respond, they will be cagey about the job and will just want to send you the ‘job details’ - this is likely to be a link for you to click on. This is phishing and may contain malware that will then be downloaded into your phone and mines for passwords and bank details. 3) The scam also works by getting details from you via ‘interviews’ that they can use to get money from you - they may ask for you details like your date of birth, where you grew up etc. This is to attempt to get password type information. 4) If you aren’t sure if it’s genuine - look up the company and ring them via their landline (yes, landlines do still exist!). It’s so horrible that people looking for work are getting caught out this way 😢 Has anyone else been getting these scam messages regularly? —————- You can report a scam text message by forwarding it to 7726 which spells out SPAM on a keypad. If it's a spam email forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk There’s an interesting article on BBC with more details about how the scam works: ‘I had £3,000 stolen via WhatsApp job scam message' https://lnkd.in/eR_f7n83

Here is a midweek reminder that #SCAMMERS in the staffing world are hot hot hot right now! Unfortunately, I had a conversation with a candidate who thought she had been speaking with someone who represented our company. She had gone through multiple interviews with them and had even sent in her personal information to start the onboarding process. Today, they messaged her asking her to get a prepaid credit card for the computer equipment and to download an app to begin tracking her time once she started. The red flags went up. She went to the corporate website and called us directly to follow up. Thankfully so! She sent me the information they'd sent her including the offer letter with our business logo and information all on it. They even signed in the CEO's name! It all looks so real! Heartbreak for the candidate and so difficult as a recruiter to break the news to her that the position wasn't real. This is especially heightened in #remote jobs. Targeting entry level positions, helpdesk and customer service roles etc. but we've seen it on higher level roles as well. Do not hesitate to ever reach out to a corporate office via their website if something seems shady - there's a good chance it is! #scam #recruiting #jobseekers #jobtips #fakejobs #techjobs #CSR #workfromhome

The scammers in the staffing industry are out in full force. I myself have received several texts from "recruiters" claiming to have jobs paying over 100K with the only requirement being 18-70 years old. They use names of people who are on LinkedIn and work at agencies. One of my connections told me she got a text from someone claiming to be me but she reached out immediately because it looked too good to be true. Reputable recruiters may text you to tell you they want to connect on the phone but they will never ask you for any personal identifying information via text. Also, even though texting is the most common form of communication, a reputable recruiter will always insist on a in-person, Teams or at the very least phone conversation. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is. Checking for a profile is not enough anymore. You need to make sure the recruiter texting you really is the person they claim to be and that the organization is a legitimate one. You can always contact the agency to make sure the person does in fact work there but always demand a conversation and even then never give out personal information until you have gone on the interview and gotten the job. They should NEVER be asking for any of that information before an offer is secured. #textscam #recruiterlife #security #protectyourself #scammers