Warning: Fake recruiters impersonating real companies to run job scams

Job seekers are contacted out of the blue — often by message on a professional networking site, email, or text — by someone claiming to be a recruiter for a large, well-known company that is genuinely known to be hiring. The approach flatters the recipient by claiming their profile or resume stood out, and moves quickly through an informal "interview" conducted entirely by chat, skipping the verification steps a real hiring process would include.

Once the target is engaged, the fake recruiter asks for personal details like a copy of a passport or driver's licence, banking information to "set up payroll" before a start date, or a fee for background checks, training materials, or equipment. Some variants also direct victims toward advance-payment "task" work under the guise of onboarding. Because the company name is real and often well regarded, victims assume the opportunity is genuine.

Australia's Scamwatch is warning job seekers that a spike in these reports involves impersonation of recruiters for major, real companies, and that a legitimate employer never asks a candidate to pay for a job, provide banking details before a formal offer, or conduct an entire hiring process over chat alone.