Scams allegedly targeting remote workers and unemployed tech workers have been on the rise, according to LinkedIn.
Bogus recruitments
The Financial Times (FT) reported on Sunday that individuals looking for work on the networking site are instead being defrauded of money by participating in bogus recruitments conducted by con artists posing as employers (Feb. 26).
The sophistication and cunning of the attacks have grown, according to Oscar Rodriguez, vice president of product management at LinkedIn, who spoke to the Financial Times.
“We see websites being created, and we see phone numbers with what appears to be a professional operator answering the phone on the business’s behalf. We observe a transition to more sophisticated deceit,” Rodriguez continued.
False business offerings
According to data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there were over 92,000 business and employment-related scams in 2022, with $367.4 million reported as stolen. According to the FTC’s data, these scams are becoming less common but more profitable: in 2021, there were 105,000 reported scams, but $209 million was lost.
This kind of fraud is not a recent phenomenon, as was observed here last year. Google issued a warning in March 2022 that it was keeping an eye on Exotic Lily, a “financially motivated threat actor,” who had spent months employing sophisticated and convincing new techniques to get past company defences with false business offerings.
Email phishing attacks
The cybersecurity company Egress also issued a warning after observing a 232% increase in email phishing attacks that pose as LinkedIn in order to fool recipients into clicking phishing links and then inputting their login information into bogus websites.
Scammers have utilised phoney websites as one tactic among many to trick customers into handing over cash or personal data. Retailers are now issuing warnings about the rise of bogus text messages and phone order confirmations, PYMNTS reported late last year.
How to prevent fraud?
Abigail Bishop, Amazon’s head of fraud prevention, told PYMNTS that you should pause and consider any communication that makes you feel a false sense of urgency, whether it’s a text message, email, or phone call.
According to PYMNTS research, even though these frauds directly target customers and only utilise a merchant or brand name as cover, they nonetheless have an effect on the company. Poor online experiences frequently have a negative impact on customer loyalty, faith in digital commerce, and usage.
According to PYMNTS and DataVisor’s December Digital Fraud Tracker®, “a smooth experience every step of the way is non-negotiable.”
According to the survey, this makes the problem “even more critical, considering that 56% of consumers said they would discuss unpleasant experiences with colleagues and co-workers, potentially losing clients and money in the future.”
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Source: PYMNTS
