r/linkedin • u/DredPirateRobts • 19h ago
job search Scam through Linkedin?
I am happily retired and my Linkedin page mentions that. I occasionally get inquiries, but they are generic and I don't respond. But, recently, I received an inquiry from a recruiter using my last two jobs as a perfect fit for a new position. When I asked for a formal job description, it quoted the need for a technical degree referencing my Earth Science background. The simple description also listed a salary range of $200-240K. That seemed unusually generous, so I Googled the recruiter's name and the only hit was her Linkedin history through 2019. She also used a simple Google account, not a corporate website. When I questioned this, she said she's actually working for a subcontractor and offered their email address. Google did not find any hits for that secondary company. When they asked $300 to clean up my resume, I walked away.
Has anybody else had a similar experience? If so, how do they get rewarded and how do I get scammed?
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u/Top-Astronomer-5125 19h ago
There are only three things on LinkedIn. One, people that claim they can get you 5 to 10 leads a month using their proprietary AI lead generation platform. Two, pretend recruiters that actually want to sell you a service to fix your résumé or to find you a board-level position. Three, fake profiles with attractive pictures of young Asian girls that want you to learn about cryptocurrency investing.
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u/DuckinTX293 15h ago
One more to add. Folks who tout their multi-million impressions and want money so you can learn their secrets without ever talking about engagement and results.. 😂
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u/a1anw-cto 19h ago
Yes - this is the biggest tell, the Google email address. I have had ones where they hijacked the persona of a real recruiter, then used their Google to communicate. I used a burner email once, to respond, out of curiosity, and they didn't even twig that my email was different, so there is the first warning.
I went back and forth a lot, I was toying with them, wasting time, so they wouldn't be wasting someone else's time. I figured it was AI, then started to embed questions in there, to which their AI would answer - it was funny as shit.
They get rewarded by getting you to pay a finders fee, or when they arrange the interview, they need their expenses paid for. Its a whole world preying on the needy.
Your instinct was good. Well done.
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u/Similar-Ad1056 13h ago
Yes, I have received several of those. I’m thinking about getting off of that shit platform.
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u/PunkiesBoner 8h ago edited 8h ago
Yeah I had this exact scam a couple of months ago and they had me on the hook for like 6 days.
Very similar approach - JD custom fit for my resume, 200K-250k compensation, they use the name of a real recruiter at a real recruiting company but we're emailing from a Gmail address.
They groomed for 6 days before they tried to get me to commit to spending like175 bucks with my credit card for the services of an "executive document preparer" who needed to improve my resume even though the the recruiter was saying that the employer already wanted an interview with me.
At the time I was completely taken in and super excited about the salary, but I pointed out that Objectively it makes no f****** sense to pay somebody to improve your resume after it's already gotten you the interview.
It was until I got argumentative with it that I noticed the patterns and Cadence of an llm.
It was hard to accept because it was the first time I was ever actually impressed by a third party recruiter's understanding of my industry.
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u/IrritatedMike 18h ago
It has been a scam for a long time; there are several versions of it. To me, it is a red flag when they want me to connect off LinkedIn, use Google (or worse, Hotmail) email addresses, and offer an exceptionally high salary. Often, I see the recruiter's end website in an APAC or EMEA country. I don't even bother with them; I'd retire and go fishing.