Part 2 in an apparently ongoing series spotlighting scam tactics targeting job seekers.
This is for all the folks sending hundreds of resume’s out applying to hundreds of jobs and getting zero response.
Check out Part 1 to learn about fake faces and how they’re used by fake recruiters to appear genuine: https://www.5adesign.ink/post/scam-defense-for-job-seekers-recruitment-scams
Here we have a bit of social engineering going on by a person claiming to be “'lisa” from Aston Carter Recruitment, a real headhunter organization with locations across the globe. There are four locations in California.
There are a few red flags:
🚩 Never submitted my information to Aston Carter
🚩 Lower case “L” for Lisa. The person who sent this is rushed and sloppy.
🚩 Extra space between “from” and “Aston”.
Now, while I love meeting new people and attention from a recruiter is always flattering I’ve also lived in the modern age a long while. Given the numerous scams targeting desperate jobseekers I want to verify who I’m speaking with. I won’t be asking them directly.
Confirmation check takes maximum 5 minutes. 5 minutes to save months of effort in identity restoration with a bank & credit agencies who’ll determine me low priority is a price I’m willing to pay. (Let's face it. If your income is below $200,000 p/year it’s safe to say you’re considered low priority too.)
First, I ran a search on Google and then LinkedIn itself to verify there’s at least one Lisa in the world who lists their employer as Aston Carter. My query found two. Sure- there’s a high likelihood a Lisa works there. It’s a common first name. However merely confirming a name here isn’t enough.
Second, I confirmed both have a title that at least seem plausibly situated to directly interface with talent. Good news! One is more likely to be in direct contact with talent than the other.
Without these two confirmations I would have completely ignored the message. When in doubt always ignore!
And since they pass these two checks I responded inviting them to connect on LinkedIn. If they have my number surely they have my name. At this point I only know something's "off" about this text message. I don’t know for certain.
Deception and fraud are the core components of any attack by text message. By "lisa" assuming the identity of a representative of a real organization that appears legitimate they're hoping to build instantaneous trust, thereby opening oneself up and likely to succumb to their requests.
Social engineering hopes to harness that unknown to manipulate a target's decision-making. With so many Q4 2023 and Q1 2024 layoffs the conditions are right for scammers to capitalize on these conditions. (Call it entrepreneurial spirit!)
By heightening a target’s emotions (Oh wow! A recruiter is texting ME!) scammers hope to override their target's critical thinking and spur them into rapid action. FYI: I ignored them until I decided to make a blog post about this experience. Which means I sat on it for a day.
If they reach out via LinkedIn I can check their name against the pair of Lisa’s I saw earlier. No, I didn’t record those Lisa’s names. (That’s weird. Don’t be weird.) No need to jot those names down.
Just knowing the real Lisa’s exist is enough for later verification.
And here we go! The big reveal.
"The person in charge uses WhatsApp." Scammer confirmed. $70 to $150 payment, daily? Sure, buddy. I believe you.
Best case scenario is it's a fake online jobs list abundant with survey sites where I'd earn "points" that can be redeemed for an amount less than advertised. Bonus payout in malware I'll need to extricate from my system with downstream effects involving a hamster wheel of wasted time and effort because of how much work actually goes in to getting payouts from survey sites. There are numerous worse case scenarios. No thanks.
Check out the red arrow. It’s pointing to my phone number. Contextually its placement doesn't make sense. Presumably their software is piping in information from a database. Whatever program they’re using to do this poorly maps to the corresponding entryfield. I doubt my number was the intended entry. Recall the second tell from earlier? That gap between ‘from’ and ‘Aston’? You’ll notice it’s here in front of my phone number too.
I’ve not worked with Aston Carter. Yet, based on their website it’s clear appearances matters. I’d like to believe they wouldn’t let that gap slip by. Nor cold call via text for that matter.
Since “lisa from Aston Carter” is definitely a scammer no further interaction necessary. Number blocked.
Ignoring bait is always an effective security strategy for scammers. Think of the text message as a cold call for lead generation. They might call them "marks". Once you respond you're marked and they’ll keep trying to bait you. In fact “lisa from Aston Carter” tried to get a second response a few times before giving up. It's all a numbers game.
So what’s to be done?
🌟 First and best option: Ignore. Merely responding this time means I'll be targeted again with a more sophisticated attack next time.
🌟 Block that number.
🌟 Don't click any links! No links? Great! Don't reply!
🌟 Don't move to another platform to talk like WhatsApp, Fivr, whatever
🌟 Keep your phone's software up to date
🌟 Keep apps that use sensitive data up to date (your banking app, and anything tied to your debit/ credit card)
So you responded and now recognize it’s a scam. Second best options:
🌟 It's not too late to ignore them!
🌟 Block the number.
❌ Don’t respond rudely.
❌ Don’t be mean.
❌ Don’t try to outsmart them.
❌ Don’t give them a reason to target you later with a more sophisticated ploy.
They’re likely having an awful day and they’re still human, or if a program there is a human-in-the-loop who will see your message. They’ll send out hundreds of cold calls. Of course they’ll always follow up with someone who responds. That’s the game.
On the plus side Aston Carter is now on my list of companies to reach out to. I’ll be speaking to a representative from the real company.
As for “lisa from Aston Carter”? They’ll be left on ignore.
Be mindful out there jobseekers! People who figured out how to monetize wasting your time are capitalizing on you. The attention economy is a growth market.
For those interested in learning more about the attention economy check out Jenny Odell’s How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy. One of the best books I read in the last decade. Not only that it was included on former President Barack Obama’s list of favorite books in 2019 along with the following institutions: Time • The New Yorker • NPR • GQ • Elle • Vulture • Fortune • Boing Boing • The Irish Times • The New York Public Library • The Brooklyn Public Library
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