As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, several scams involving highly advanced computer programs have also emerged. And the most recent one? Job scams! Over the past several weeks, several individuals have reported falling victim to AI job interviews and AI job offer scams. We investigate exactly what happened and how you can prevent it from happening to you below.
What to know about AI job scams and how do they work?
When it comes to AI jobs scams, there are two that are currently on the rise.
The first is an AI job interview scam in which a bot poses as a recruiter—sometimes at the request of a company—and asks the potential new hire a bunch of questions related to the position.
“It felt really dystopian. I feel like anytime I’m interacting with AI, I’m still always shocked,” Wafa Shafiq, 25, told NBC News. “I didn’t end up hearing back at all. I was ghosted. So that added to the limited empathy there.”
This initiative follows the announcement on Resume Builder in 2024 that 70% of recruiters would be using AI in the hiring process.
“As organizations face an overwhelming influx of resumes, especially with the expansion of remote and hybrid work models, more companies are leveraging AI in the hiring process,” Resume Builder’s Chief Career Advisor, Stacie Haller, said in a statement. “These models have broadened the talent pool, allowing candidates from various geographic locations to apply, resulting in an exponential increase in applications for every open position.”
“Given the competition for top talent, companies understand that the longer the hiring process takes, the higher the risk of losing the best candidates. AI helps by automating tasks, allowing organizations to speed up their decision-making and reduce the manual workload of hiring managers.”
However, this interview process comes with some drawbacks, as several people have reported that the AI interviewer was unable to answer basic questions about the job or the workplace. It’s also unclear how much information the AI bot is sharing with the hiring committee, or if they are sharing anything at all.
Along with AI interview scams, numerous job scams created by AI are also circulating. Typically, these ones seem to be legitimate remote jobs—most of which are created using AI tools— and once you accept it, they will either require you to pay for supposed training and certifications that end up being useless or they will send you a check for supplies, but then will ask you to send some money back to them due to “overpayment.” The check will then bounce, and the bank will require you to pay the full amount that you sent to the fake employers.
It is believed that people who fall victim to this scam can lose, on average, $2,000, resulting in a total loss of $367 million for hopeful American job seekers, according to a study conducted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in April 2023. This total then increased to $501 million in 2024, with more 20- to 29-year-olds falling victim to this scam than people over the age of 70. But, when older adults did get scammed, they lost a lot more money than anyone else.
How to avoid job scams and keep your money safe
Thankfully, despite how scary job scams sound, there are several different ways to avoid falling victim to them.
The first step is to ensure you do your research. Look up the company online and see what people are saying about them. If there isn’t a lot of information available, then chances are they aren’t a legitimate company.
The second is to never pay for anything. No legitimate employer will make you pay for anything for a job, especially before you start, and if they do, it’s most likely a scam.
On the same lines, never accept money from a potential employer to purchase things. The money they send will most likely be fake, and you will be left with the bill.
And finally, talk to someone. If you are interviewing for a job and your gut is telling you something’s wrong, it probably is. However,if you are still unsure, sit down with someone you trust and see if they feel the same way. After all, when you are interviewing for a job, you owe that supposed company nothing.
