Job hunting isn’t anyone’s idea of a great time, and websites like LinkedIn can make the whole process a little less painful.
That said, like everywhere else on the internet, it can be tough sometimes to determine what’s real and what’s fake.
TikToker Lex (@lexaveee) learned this lesson the hard way when she applied for and got a job through LinkedIn.
Or so she thought.
Before she started actually working for the company, she discovered the entire thing was a scam.
“The crazy part is that everything about it seemed so legit. Like, these people are good at what they do.”
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She found the job via posting, applied, and received an email asking for an interview. To do so, they wanted her to download an app that the team supposedly used for communication.
Lex didn’t know she was being scammed, so she downloaded the app and then contacted the person to set up an interview. Even when she realized the interview would be conducted over text, Lex wasn’t super on alert.
“I thought all interviews were on the phone or face-to-face, but I was like, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never done a remote job before. Maybe this is the new thing they’re starting to do.'”
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And in fact, some legit jobs do conduct interviews over text – but not always.
A few days later she received a call from HR, telling her she got the job.
The first thing that tipped Lex off was a post on the company’s website warning people that there was a scammer impersonating the company on LinkedIn. When she reached out to the company directly, Lex unfortunately learned that was who she had been communicating with.
“I was so let down, because I was so excited about this opportunity.”
It seems like the crux of the scam was “selling” OP a phone or other equipment “for work,” and then promising to reimburse her with her first paycheck.
In addition to the missed red flag of being asked to download a separate app, users say Lex missed a few other flags as well, and one of them was downloading a PDF “brochure.”
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They say this document can contain hidden executable files that could give the sender access to your computer. Then they can do things like installing key-loggers to track what you type, access your webcam, or steal browser tokens to impersonate you online.
That said, the person behind Lex’s scam was really good at their “job,” so it’s important to be extra vigilant. They copied the exact job posting, spoofed the hiring manager’s email, and even the app they asked her to download looked exactly like Microsoft Teams, which many legit businesses do use to communicate.
Check out the video!
@alexaaaval back to square 1🫠 #jobs #job #jobinterview #jobsearch #jobhunt #jobhunting #scam #scammers #scams #scamalert #igotscammed #linkedin #fakejobposting #fakejobs
Commenters had a lot to say because it seems like it they’ve run into this before.
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And they know what’s next.
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Even a career coach weighed in!
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Be wary out there, job-seekers. Because not even this process we all love to hate is safe from scammers anymore.