No One Is Safe: The Rise of Fake Jobs and Fake Candidates in the Age of AI

The hiring process is under siege. Once a sacred exchange between opportunity and talent, today’s job market is becoming a high-stakes battleground, polluted by scams, fake listings, and AI-generated applicants. In 2025, no one is truly safe. Not the job seeker. Not the hiring manager. Not even the recruiter.  Guess what, though, I’m about to change that!

The Rise of Fake Job Postings and Outright Scams

The increase in remote work has opened the floodgates for scammers. Fake companies post “dream jobs” that look legitimate. Their goal?

• To harvest personal data (SSNs, banking info, passports)

• To phish for credentials or install malware

• To trick people into paying upfront for fake equipment or training

Some red flags:

• Poorly written job descriptions

• LinkedIn now allows ANYONE to post a job for free without

• No company website or a shady web presence

• Brand new to LinkedIn with no connections

• Gmail or Yahoo contact addresses

• Offers made without interviews

Real example: A “remote admin assistant” job offering $85,000 for minimal work, until the candidate is asked to front $500 for “equipment.”  I’ve seen another scam where they send you a check to purchase equipment, you do so, then the check bounces, and you are held accountable.

Fake Candidates and the New AI Arms Race

But the flip side is equally troubling: fake candidates. With tools like ChatGPT, deepfake avatars, and synthetic voice generators, unqualified applicants can mass apply, ace AI-driven interviews, and even fake skill assessments.

Common tactics include:

• AI-generated resumes that exaggerate or fabricate work history

• Fake LinkedIn profiles with purchased endorsements

• AI-generated cover letters tailored in seconds to thousands of jobs

• Deepfake videos of interviews powered by avatars

• Fake portfolios cloned from real professionals

Companies are spending millions vetting candidates who don’t actually exist, or can't perform the jobs they claim they can.

The Fallout: Mistrust, Burnout, and Wasted Resources

• For job seekers: It’s harder to trust job postings. Many candidates are scammed out of time, money, or sensitive data.

• For employers: HR teams are overwhelmed. Interview pipelines are full of bots, bad actors, or "AI-inflated" candidates.

• For platforms: LinkedIn, Indeed, and Upwork are in a constant game of whack-a-mole, trying to flag fake jobs and fake users.

How to Fight Back (Remember, I will be launching a business to ELIMINATE this all altogether)

For Employers:

• Use layered verification (skills assessments, video intros, reference checks)

• Watch for inconsistencies in speech, resumes, or behavior

• Avoid blind trust in applicant tracking systems (ATS) alone

• Consider third-party candidate vetting platforms with AI-detection tools – This is where I come in.

For Job Seekers:

• Research every opportunity thoroughly - This is where I come in.

• Verify recruiter identities and company legitimacy

• Never send money or personal data before signing formal agreements

• Report suspicious listings to job boards and federal agencies

We need more than reactive tools. We need a new hiring code of ethics, a shared alliance between job boards, employers, and candidates. Transparency, verification, and accountability must become non-negotiable.

AI can be a powerful force for good in hiring, but if left unchecked, it becomes a weapon that threatens everyone involved.

The job market is broken, I’ve been screaming this for years, no longer because of a lack of talent or opportunity, but because of a trust crisis. We must approach hiring in 2025 not just with technology, but with discernment. AI may be faking resumes, interviews, and job offers, but human wisdom is still our best line of defense.  Let’s get back to PEOPLE hiring PEOPLE.