FAKE job offers from Meta and Spotify are being used to hack Facebook accounts in a new “dangerous” scam, as experts say “AI-powered scammers are turning ambition into a trap”.
Fraudsters are exploiting the rise in UK jobseekers with fake roles from global brands, according to a new report by NordVPN.
The new scam steals social media logins through a fake application process, designed to look like official job listings.
Examples of the brands being impersonated include the likes of Meta, Disney, Coca-Cola, and Spotify, with fraudsters using AI to create convincing websites.
NordVPN warns that hacked social media accounts can be a gateway to other types of fraud, including scams that try to trick your family and friends into handing over cash.
Researchers from NordVPN are warning Brits to be on the lookout for recruitment scams and to do their due diligence before hitting the apply button.
AI-powered scammers are turning ambition into a trap
Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, said: “Periods of economic uncertainty often create the perfect conditions for scams like this. When more people are actively looking for work, there is understandably more trust placed in recruitment messages and job opportunities.
“What makes this campaign particularly dangerous is how convincing it is. From the branding to the job listings, everything is designed to replicate a real hiring process, making it much harder for people to spot the warning signs.
“Social media logins may not seem like the most sensitive information to hand over, especially when compared to bank details for example, however this is where people can fall into a trap. These logins can act as a gateway to much wider account access.
“Once compromised, attackers can use these accounts to spread scams to your loved ones, access other services or attempt identity fraud.
“As job searches increasingly take place online, it is vital that people slow down and question any unexpected opportunity, especially when it asks for login details or redirects them away from official websites.”
Colette Mason, Author & AI Consultant at London-based Clever Clogs AI, said the difficult jobs market in the UK means people are susceptible to being scammed.
She added: “UK unemployment is at a 5-year high, so FOMO means the financially vulnerable are less likely to pause to check URLs. AI hasn’t invented recruitment fraud, it’s made it indistinguishable from the real thing at exactly the point that the slow job market has made people most willing to believe a good offer.
“Lloyds logged a 237% rise in job scams last year. These aren’t amateur phishing attempts. They’re scalable operations exploiting the fact that legitimate hiring now happens entirely online. Always go to the company’s careers page directly, never authenticate via social media to apply, and treat unsolicited approaches as suspicious until verified.
“Yet again jobseekers are expected to carry the full detection burden while companies and social media platforms still haven’t decided whose job it is to stop fake listings appearing in the first place.”
Scams these days are easier to fall for
Mitali Deypurkaystha, Human-First AI Strategist & Author at Newcastle upon Tyne-based Impact Icon AI, said these scams are “dangerous”.
She added: “Gen Z candidates now send an average of 24 job applications before landing a role, compared to 12 for Gen X and 11 for Baby Boomers. Scammers know desperation means defences being dropped. These fake Meta and Spotify job offers are so dangerous because they weaponise hope at the exact moment young people are exhausted, anxious and willing to trust strangers just to get a foot on the career ladder.
“We’ve spent years teaching people not to click suspicious links, yet modern recruitment now expects applicants to hand over personal information, open unfamiliar websites and respond quickly to opportunities from people they’ve never met.
“As someone from Gen X, I remember having multiple job offers to choose from after graduating, but today’s young people are fighting through hundreds of applications with little feedback, and that imbalance of power makes it far easier for AI-powered scammers to turn ambition into a trap.”
Debbie Porter, Managing Director at Bakewell-based Destination Digital Marketing, said something too good to be true usually is.
She added: “Scams these days are easier to fall for, due to ChatGPT tidying up the traditionally poor grammar and spelling that usually typify a scam. The best place to look to help decide whether an email is genuine or not is the ‘from email’.
“I’ve noticed that most of these scam emails are coming from a ‘no-reply’ Xero email address – Xero is a piece of accounting software, so a first sense-check would be to ask yourself why Xero is emailing you about a job at Facebook that you would be perfect for?
“Generally speaking, any email that comes from a huge brand like Meta, Disney, Coca-Cola or Spotify telling you that you are perfect for a job they have in mind is going to be a fake. Unless you are at the absolute top of your career, chances are that these brands would not be headhunting like this. Deflating for your ego perhaps, but at least your accounts will remain safe.”
Photo by Carla Quario on Unsplash.
