Risk-free recruitment? Only with full awareness of the threats
AI
Modern recruitment scams are no longer simple fraud attempts but carefully planned operations using AI, deepfakes, and advanced social engineering. The offers look professional, and fake recruiters know the details of your career and can earn your trust in just a few minutes. Find out how to spot the threat and how Flowork protects candidates from such attacks.
Table of contents
A new era of recruitment fraud
In a world where digitalisation permeates almost every aspect of life, the recruitment process has also undergone a major transformation. Unfortunately, along with these changes have come new, increasingly sophisticated forms of fraud. Just a few years ago, fake job offers could be easily spotted by their sloppy format or language errors. Today, criminals use perfectly prepared campaigns, leveraging elements of real companies’ visual identity, professional-looking job postings, and even video interviews created using deepfakes.
How a fake recruitment process works
A fake recruitment process today is an illusion that is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. The candidate receives a message from a “recruiter” who knows details of their professional career and contacts them via LinkedIn or WhatsApp. The messages contain documents and links that look completely legitimate. Sometimes the conversation is so convincing that doubts only arise when the “recruiter” asks for a scan of an ID document, a bank account number, or a payment for the recruitment process. Unfortunately, for many people, it is already too late by then.
The scale of the phenomenon and the role of new technologies
According to data from the Polish HR Forum, such activities are no longer an isolated issue. This is a systemic phenomenon that evolves with technology. Its scale and pace are growing year by year. Increasingly, these scams employ advanced tools: chatbots conduct realistic conversations, generative AI creates personalised content, and deepfakes allow criminals to convincingly impersonate real people.
Why basic verification is no longer enough
In the past, checking a company’s data in the national business registers was enough to confirm that a recruitment process was legitimate. Today, this is no longer sufficient, as fraudsters can impersonate existing, operational entities. They often use almost identical internet domains, hacked email accounts of real employees, or fake recruiter profiles that appear authentic at first glance.
Rules for safe participation in recruitment
To protect yourself from such threats, it is worth following a few rules. Above all, no legitimate company charges fees for participating in a recruitment process. Any request for payment should raise a red flag. Sharing scans of your ID card, passport, or banking details carries huge risks, as such information can be used for identity theft or financial fraud. Always verify an agency’s legitimacy in the official KRAZ register and check the recruiter’s profile on social media, reviewing their work history and connections. Be wary of offers that promise exceptionally high earnings with minimal requirements. Treat any links and files from unknown senders as potential threats.
A shared responsibility for candidates and companies
Any suspicious job posting or message should be reported to CERT Polska, job boards, or directly to the company being impersonated. Such action matters not only for your own safety, but also for protecting other candidates and the reputation of businesses.
How Flowork ensures recruitment process security
At Flowork, we have long emphasised that effective recruitment is not only about matching skills to a position, but also about ensuring full safety for all parties involved. We verify both candidates and clients using multiple independent sources. We apply anti-phishing protections in our communications and use only verified contact channels. This minimises the risk of impersonation or data theft in our name.
Awareness as a protective shield
Modern recruitment is a process in which trust is the currency. Effective verification is a true protective shield. Awareness of threats, the ability to identify them, and a quick response are now key elements of modern security management—for both candidates and companies alike.
Share
Natalia Roszkowiak
Marketing Project Manager
Similar posts
Similar posts