Episode
Job Recruiter Scams
- Podcast
- Easy Prey
- Published
- Jun 24, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2148
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.easyprey.com/job-recruiter-scams/
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Summary
Job hunting is hard enough without having to stop and ask whether the recruiter in your inbox is even real. My guest today, Jay Jones, ran into that problem firsthand after being laid off in December 2023. With his daughter due to be born just weeks later, Jay began receiving messages from recruiters that looked promising at first, but quickly turned out to be fake. Jay, also known as The Profiler, decided not to ignore what was happening. He started investigating the patterns behind these scams and has since identified and helped remove thousands of fake profiles, fraudulent companies, and deceptive job postings from LinkedIn. His work now helps job seekers, businesses, and executives understand how fake recruiters operate and how much damage these scams can do. In this episode, we discuss how fake recruiting scams work, why public resumes and the "Open to Work" banner can make job seekers easier targets, and what red flags to watch for before responding. We also talk about fake background checks, resume-writing scams, equipment-check schemes, one-way interview risks, fake applicants, and practical ways to verify opportunities before sharing personal information. Show Notes: [0055] Jay Jones introduces his work as The Profiler and explains how he helps companies and job seekers protect themselves from fake recruiters, fake jobs, impersonation, and online risk. [01:23] Jay shares how being laid off in December 2023 led him to LinkedIn, where he quickly realized many of the recruiters contacting him were not real. [02:20] Fake recruiters often outnumber legitimate outreach because scam operations have dedicated teams sending generic messages around the clock. [03:23] The goal behind many fake recruiter messages is to collect personal data, steal money, or gather enough…