Marketplace All-in-One This labor market is ripe for job scams
Oct 16, 2025
Kristen Schwab, a senior reporter known for her investigative work, shares insights into the alarming rise of job scams that target vulnerable job seekers. She details her eye-opening experience replying to a scam message, revealing how genuine-sounding offers can be traps. The discussion explores how scammers leverage data leaks, remote hiring, and AI advancements to craft convincing ploys. Schwab also highlights which demographics are most at risk and offers tips for spotting fake job offers, emphasizing the need for caution in today's challenging job market.
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Experimenting With A Scam Text
- Kristen Schwab replied to a week’s worth of scam texts to see how they worked.
- A respondent named "Shirley" offered up to $600 an hour and pushed the chat to WhatsApp before sharing links and media.
Data Leaks Power Personalized Scams
- Scammers often buy leaked personal data from breaches, which makes messages feel personalized.
- That access helps them craft convincing outreach that includes your name and phone number.
Three Forces Fueling Job Scams
- Three forces are increasing job scams: a tight labor market, AI-generated copy, and the shift to remote hiring.
- These combine to make scams more frequent, more believable, and easier to distribute.