The Job Scam Report Podcast

In this episode of “The Job Scam Report,” we are not only looking at the lack of caution job seekers are taking when scrutinizing jobs, but also at how they are recklessly job searching. My co-hosts, Ashley and Russ, are offering great insight into how employers view job seekers’ self-presentation. view job seekers’ self-presentation. I personally got a kick out of Russ’ line about his friend pres...

I announced last week during this event, which is this week’s podcast, that the summer newsletter will be open to the public, not just paid subscribers. I want everyone to stay up to date on all things job scams. Mindy Stern invited me to share job scam tips with her “Accelerator Career Group mostly made up of job seekers, some of whom are actually her clients. Each month she invites any job seeke...

I have just opened the floodgates: I’ve made this newsletter public for the summer. Before, you had to subscribe to my Substack to see the posts after 14 days. Now, everything is visible from May 13, 2024, to today and for the rest of the summer. Please share with your network, friends, and family. In the last six months, I’ve published a couple of excerpts from this show, but this week I decided...

If you’ve been reading about job scams in the news, on this platform, or in videos, the only conclusion we can all reach is the escalation and frequency of job scams continue to surge, as do other types of scams. The job numbers from any angle lack the comfort needed during these times. If unemployment, or underemployment, were a giant desert you had to walk through, your mind would create small p...

This week marks two years since the launch of “The Job Scam Report.” The project began as a direct response to a persistent job-market problem. Over that time, I’ve created more than 150 pieces of content—articles, videos, and podcasts. I’m grateful that more than 3,000 subscribers have chosen to join me on this journey. Many of you found your way here through my work on “The Voice of Job Seekers....

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is likely the primary tool in the scammer’s arsenal. Not because it is doing everything for scammers, but their scaling the use of AI is causing constant doubt and fear. Both are the kryptonite for most job seekers entering a bare-bones job market. Thanks for joining me for this short episode. In this episode, I continue to discuss briefly two articles: This article ab...

The job market is tough. In this episode, I break down why job scams are more dangerous than ever, what the latest data reveals, and how smart job seekers must protect themselves. What We Cover: * Why economic uncertainty and job seeker apprehension are ripe grounds for harvest in job scams * Scam evolution from obvious fake postings to convincing, process-driven fraud mimicking real hiring workfl...

You can’t trust what you can’t see. There’s truth and danger in that saying. Technology is a sophisticated conundrum, and job candidates may unknowingly interview with fake recruiters as AI avatars. Real companies use them, as do fake ones. The crew, Ashley, Jay, Russ, and I say you can’t trust everyone who is connected to hiring in any way, especially without researching them. Please listen to th...

Everyone needs to hear from someone or people who live and offer sound reasoning. Enter Russ Irby and Ashley Price-Horton. Russ Irby, a 25-year HR Director, is telling it like it is:-AI is not the "boogeyman."-Mailing a resume to a company without applying online makes you invisible.-The ATS is not the culprit.-Fake background checks can entangle your life, which takes years to unravel. Ashley, a...

The mantra for 2026 when it comes to protecting your personal information is “Zero Trust!” You should be stingy with your personal information and only give it if you have researched the company and the people you interview, and feel safe. Your data privacy is the most valuable asset you own. In this episode, Ashley, Russ, and I discuss the hiring process in detail so you can know what feels right...

Zero Trust. That’s what we need to use as a personal defense system against unfamiliar or strange communications, or from people we did not vet before they communicate with us. We hope you’ll join the cast of “The Job Scam Report” on Saturday, Feb. 28, 10 am CST - 11 am EST for our LinkedIn Livestream . This is a special WEEKEND edition, so you can sign up for a show notification. In this episode,...

Here's an uncomfortable truth your mind won't want to believe: Job scams will be as prevalent in the next three weeks as they've been all year. We should all anticipate an increase in AI-generated job scams, given how remarkably "goodwill" this season is. Those in the job hunt must navigate this time with shrewdness and high awareness. But let's be real: All of our minds will want these fake messa...

Our military personnel and veterans are often targets of all kinds of scams. Bad actors target them because of their frequent moves and transitions. They also understand that their service profiles contain valuable information that can serve as assets. H.R. 1663, also known as the VSAFE Act, enables the military to provide specific resources to active-duty service members, veterans, and spouses. O...

The battleground in spotting and avoiding deepfake job interview videos is just beginning, which is one reason why I wanted publish this episode. I also saw an article this week discussing AI-generated deepfake videos and their ability to fool even the most sophisticated and vigilant. The show was moderated by Gina Riley for the Intel Alumni group. In addition to deepfake mentions, we also mention...

Kevin Turner, a well-known Brand Strategist and LinkedIn expert, offered a post-show perspective on job scams on LinkedIn. He says a stolen LinkedIn profile could be leveraged on other platforms, such as Facebook and Fiverr, to sell fake services. He says bad actors will use the credibility through endorsements and references on LinkedIn to build false trust for scams on other platforms. Kevin men...

I hate “ghost jobs” as much as the next job seeker, and I’m not looking for a job. But I am trying to make sense of it all and will need help explaining, I hope, more clearly than you’ll see in most LinkedIn posts. There are many articles about ghost jobs, but not in the context of the differences between fake and ghost jobs. In this episode of the podcast, there is a past one I did with Craig Fis...

In this week’s episode of “The Job Scam Report,” the entire crew is back to collaborate on some of the most pressing job scam news. Ashley Price-Horton , Jay Jones , and Russell Irby are back to help make sense of it all. I kicked off our panel with breaking news about LinkedIn’s “Open To Work” badge and recent changes to its visibility and searchability. LinkedIn has made it so the badge is suppo...

In this week’s minisode, I’m warning students about the dangers of money mule scams disguised as job offers. The FBI states , “Criminals recruit money mules to help launder proceeds derived from online scams and frauds or crimes like human trafficking and drug trafficking.” Criminals target unsuspecting students looking for easy money to move funds through personal accounts. Many students don’t kn...

This week’s episode is the presentation Jay, Ashley, and I gave at the Intel Corporation Alumni Network’s monthly “Path to Next Series.” A big shout-out to Gina Riley, a member of the organization, who invited us out to present “Avoid Job Scams.” These are my notes for the presentation, “Path to Next Series: Avoiding Job Scams.” I’ve included the link to the Intel Alumni page here . We provided an...

Thanks for joining this very special edition of the podcast. Several of my industry colleagues in the career field recounted their experiences of being spoofed (or duped) by bad actors. Jay Jones, co-host of the podcast, moderated this panel entitled “Hijacked Identities: How to Protect Your Brand and Job Seekers from Scams,” which was streamed as a LinkedIn Live event. Each participant gave me pe...

In this in-depth interview, Mark Anthony Dyson speaks with HR veteran Russell Irby (https://www.linkedin.com/in/russirby) about the growing challenges in today’s job market, particularly the prevalence of fake jobs, fake candidates, and the impact of technology and AI on both job seekers and employers. The conversation opens with technical difficulties in streaming, which serves as a metaphor for...

In this episode, I discuss with Ashley the alarming rise in job scams and how scammers exploit the personal information found on resumes. We highlight that resumes are not just tools for job applications—they’re also potential gateways for identity theft and other cybercrimes. I share recent statistics showing a dramatic increase in scam attempts and emphasize the importance of being vigilant abou...

Editor’s note: This article also includes an affiliate link where I would receive a commission. Scammers create fake job postings, especially for remote “bridge jobs,” to steal resumes and personal information from vulnerable job seekers. We discussed common red flags, such as vague job descriptions, ghost recruiters, and recently registered domains. Jay Jones and I hit a variety of LinkedIn job s...

I hope you enjoyed your holiday if you were off. I hope you enjoy this minisode of the podcast. Ashley, Jay, and I discuss how federal layoffs make workers vulnerable to job scams, the risks of sharing resume end dates, differences between federal and civilian resumes, and strategies for safer job searching. We are continuing to see court orders turning over mass layoff mandates, including the Sup...

“The Resume Is Dead” was written on the t-shirt of Vrijen Attawar, Founder and CEO of Careerspan. His company helps job seekers develop their professional story through conversational coaching and tailored resumes. Vrijen started as a career coach, and along with his co-founder of Careerspan, saw the need to address the problem of the blurred lines of fake and ghost jobs. During our conversation,...