A recruiter impersonation scam targeting senior leaders has been on the rise over the last six months, but latelyit’s hit a fever pitch. Just last week, four of our executive clients told us recruiters had reached out with opportunities they were excited about. But after we dug into the emails, we found ALL FOUR were fake.
So we’re sharing this updated and expanded list of red flags to watch for, because this scam keeps evolving and it’s getting harder to spot.
What’s Happening
Bad actors are impersonating real, legitimate recruiters and contacting executives with job opportunities and even board placements.
They are stealing the identities of actual recruiters by using their names, photos, company names, and even profile pictures to gain your trust and get your personal data, money, or both.
9 Red Flags to Watch For
Right now, it’s best to review all your inbound recruiter communications. Here are some common red flags to watch out for:
- Free Email Domain: The message comes from a Gmail, Outlook, or other free email address rather than a company domain. Even if the recruiter’s name is real, a personal email is a hard stop. Note: This is the biggest giveaway, so check all email domains before responding.
2. Misspelled Domain: The company name in the email address has a subtle misspelling or doesn’t match the company’s website domain. Look carefully. One transposed letter is enough to create a lookalike domain.
3. WhatsApp Messages: The outreach comes through WhatsApp or another non-standard business channel. Legitimate recruiters typically use LinkedIn or corporate email.
4. Urgent Request: They create intense urgency, pushing you to move fast, share documents, or decide before you have time to think clearly. No legitimate opportunity will require an immediate update of your resume.
5. AI Email Content: The writing of the email is long, wordy, and overly polite or complimentary of your background. And/or your background perfectly matches the qualifications of the role. These are indications that the email is written by AI.
6. You Have to Pay: They ask you to pay for something. Recruiters are paid by the companies they place candidates with, not by the candidates themselves. If someone is asking you for money in exchange for placement or access to exclusive opportunities, it is a scam, full stop.
7. Need a Special File Format: They tell you your resume needs to be in a specific ATS format and direct you to a paid service to convert it. This is a long-running scam. No legitimate recruiter will turn down a conversation because of your file format.
8. Asking for Too Much Info: They ask you to share an unreasonable amount of information before they can put you forward for an opportunity. Or they say they’ve shared your resume with their client, and now the client wants more information before they schedule an interview. This is always a scam.
9. The Salary is High: If the posted salary range in the email or message is much higher than the industry average, that is a red flag. Someone on our team got a WhatsApp message last week promising $600 an hour for a role that typically pays much less. And I got an outreach offering a job at $2M a year that typically pays $500K. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Who’s Being Targeted?
Literally everyone right now, but especially senior leaders or those who make a public announcement about looking for a new role.
And they look very convincing, so they are getting past even cybersecurity executives and other savvy leaders. I’ve personally gotten several in the past couple of weeks, and they do look legit at first glance.
Turning Insights Into Action
Navigating an executive search is complex enough without having to guard against bad actors at every turn.
Be sure to vet every inbound reach-out to look out for the email domain, a sense of urgency, overly long email content, a payment request, and everything else we’ve listed above.
When in doubt, go directly to that recruiter’s LinkedIn profile and send them a message asking if the outreach was from them before engaging with the email or text. And if you can’t find the recruiter on LinkedIn, it’s definitely a scam.
Still not sure? Feel free to send me any emails you’re not sure about, and I’ll be happy to take a look and see if they are legit.
If you want more hands-on support like this to land your next role faster without leaving money on the table (while avoiding scams), we can help.
With our Executive Advantage Track service, we work one-on-one with our clients to develop standout executive resumes and LinkedIn profiles, build effective job search strategies, connect with real recruiters, prepare for high-stakes interviews, and negotiate great compensation packages.