(WatchDogReport.org) – The Identity Theft Resource Center revealed on July 7 a significant rise in job scams, thanks in part to artificial intelligence. The watchdog group detailed that cases of job scams in the United States rose by 118 percent in 2023 in comparison to 2022. The IRTC explained that these cases happened even when the number of total scams reported fell by nearly 20 percent.
The watchdog group said that many identity thieves in the country have been improving over the last few years at sounding and looking “legitimate,” which facilitates their crimes as many people can easily fall for it. The IRTC explained these criminals have been able to sophisticate these criminal methods thanks to generative artificial intelligence,” as the technology can modify the voice and appearance of a person, or even create original ones.
The group specified that in the years 2023 and 2024, they saw a significant increase in false job postings on some of the most legitimate job and networking sites, prompting the victims to formally apply for the jobs posted. The scammers created thousands of profiles on some job sites, such as LinkedIn, that looked professional. They also impersonated some official companies by using fake names to organize interviews.
The watchdog group explained that when the victim thinks they have booked an interview, the scammers move the process from the original platform to a messaging app, a video conference, or even email and text messages. Once the victim agrees, the scammer asks them to provide proof of identity and fill out paperwork.
The ITRC detailed that the information scammers usually ask as proof of identity includes the social security number, deposit information, or a driver’s license. The group explained that the vast majority of the victims didn’t feel suspicious of the information requested as the phony job posting was made on a legitimate site and because scammers said the information was part of the onboarding process.
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