SURVIVING THE AI APOCALYPSEA Field Guide for People Who Remember VCRs
Stay Safe · Field guide No. 007 · October 21, 2026

How to Spot a Fake Recruiter on LinkedIn (and by Text) Before It Costs You

A real recruiter wants your experience. A fake one wants your bank details.

Difficulty
Try it now
Time
5 minutes per message
Saves
Your savings and your identity
Tools
None required. (Optional: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to review a message.)

What happened

In early October, ABC News in Australia reported that fraudsters were copying real employees' LinkedIn profiles and using them to pose as recruiters, going after people who had said publicly that they were looking for work. Australia's consumer watchdog logged 138 LinkedIn scam reports in July and August alone.

It isn't just an Australian problem. Federal Trade Commission data show reported losses to job scams in the U.S. climbed from $90 million in 2020 to $501 million in 2024, and Fortune reported that online job-scam reports rose another 19% in the first half of 2025, with nearly $300 million lost in six months. Fake recruiters work the legitimate job sites, LinkedIn included.

There is some help built in. Since September 2025, LinkedIn has required anyone who adds a recruiter or senior-executive title to their profile to verify where they work. The badge isn't proof of honesty, but a "recruiter" without one deserves a second look.

What to do

  1. Check the badge and the history. Look for LinkedIn's verification on the recruiter's profile, and at how old the account is and who they're connected to.
  2. Find the job yourself. Go to the company's own careers page (type the address, don't click their link) and confirm the opening exists.
  3. Walk away from the classic moves: being moved to WhatsApp or Telegram, a fee for training or equipment, or a check to deposit and send part of back. The FTC says you never pay to get a job.
  4. Treat surprise job texts as scams. The FTC's advice: an unexpected text offering you a job is almost certainly one.
  5. Have a chatbot check the message. Paste it into the prompt below, with names and contact details removed, and ask what to verify before you reply.
  6. Report it. Use LinkedIn's Report option on the profile, and file at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If money was lost, call your bank right away.
The prompt

The prompt

I received this message from someone claiming to be a recruiter. I've removed names and contact details. List any red flags you see, explain each in one sentence, and tell me exactly what I should verify before replying (for example, whether the job appears on the company's own careers page). Then rate how likely this is to be a scam: low, medium or high.

[paste the message here]

A chatbot can spot patterns, but it can't confirm who someone is. The careers-page check is the one that counts.

Where it still needs a grown-up

  • A clean bill of health from a chatbot doesn't make a recruiter real. Only the company can confirm that.
  • Scammers copy real people's names and photos, so a profile that looks right proves little. Contact the company through its own website.
  • Never send your Social Security number, bank details or ID photos until you've confirmed the job with the employer directly.

The verdict

Flattery about your profile is free. A real job never costs you anything up front.

Sources