Fake Job Offers on linkedin,Telegram & Hiring Scams in 2026

In 2026, LinkedIn still stands alone in offering the best opportunities for connecting with other professionals. Unfortunately, while LinkedIn has maintained a large number of users, many of those same users are being targeted as victims of cyber crime by scammers.

Over the past year, the number of fake job opportunities posted has been enhanced and/or created by utilizing AI generated profiles and deepfake technology. Therefore, even if you have worked in jobs for many years, it can be difficult to identify which type of job opportunity is a scam.

If you are new to the workforce and looking for your first position, or if you have worked in the field for several years and are interested in changing your position, this guide will help you to identify scams before they can steal your private information or money.

Table of Contents

• What Exactly is a Fake Job Offers on linkedin?
• Why Scammers Target LinkedIn Users
• Top 7 Red Flags to Watch For
• Common Types of Job Scams in 2026
• How to Verify legitimacy of fake Job Offers on linkedin
• What to Do if You’ve Been Scammed Using fake job offers on linkedin
• 20 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):Fake job offers on linkedin

1. What Exactly is a Fake Job Offers on linkedin?

Scammers are becoming increasingly creative in how they exploit job seekers. Beyond simple theft, here are 20 specific goals and tactics used in fake job offers on linkedin:

• Upfront Fees: Asking for “application processing fees” or other administrative costs prior to moving onto the next step.
• Equipment Procurement Scams: Sending you a fake check to purchase home office equipment and instructing you to send back the difference through some type of untraceable app.
• Identity Harvesting: Asking for your Social Security Number (SSN) or National ID number under the pretense of a “pre-employment background check”.
• Credential Phishing: Sending you a link to a “company portal” which is actually a fake log-in page meant to collect your LinkedIn email.
• Working Without Pay: Asking you to complete a “test project” which is actually real work that will be sent to the client without you being paid.
• Training & Certification Scams: Requiring payment to complete some sort of online training or certification that does not actually exist, in order to qualify for a position.
• Money Laundering: Hiring you as a “Financial Assistant” where part of your role is to deposit money into your account and then transfer it to someone else.
• Reshipping Scams: Servicing stolen merchandise as a Quality Control Manager and sending those goods to some place overseas.
• Data Mining For SPAM – Collecting active phone numbers and email addresses to sell to marketing mailing lists or to use against others as scammers.
• Bank Account Probing – Requesting your bank account “Log in” to set up direct deposit as opposed to asking just for your Routing Number and Account Number.
• WhatsApp/Telegram Migration – Moving you from LinkedIn to unmonitored & encrypted applications so that LinkedIn’s security bots do not flag you.
• Referral Bonus Scams – Trying to collect money from you in exchange for a connection with a “priority referral network” offering high-paying job opportunities.
• Software Install Phishing – Asking for you to download certain “communication tools” or “task managers” that actually contain spyware or ransomware.
• Interview Booking Fees – Telling you that you must pay a refundable deposit to “hold a time slot” to interview for an executive position.
• Visa & Work Permit Scams – Using NAFTA legislation to target international candidates needing to pay thousands of dollars for “guaranteed” work visas.
• Fake Background Check Sites: directing you toward their own website where you can pay $50 for a background check that has never happened.
• Ghosting: Using fake recruiters to obtain competitor information through a “test.”
• Premium Number Scams: recruiting by having the candidate call a designated “hiring hotline,” where the candidate is charged a premium rate.
• Crypto Wallet Access: asking online candidates to connect their cryptocurrency wallets and then being taken advantage of.
• Social Engineering: developing a relationship with the candidate over several weeks and then asking them for a “personal favor” or “short-term loan” when the relationship has been well established.

2. Why Scammers Target LinkedIn Users

The foundation of LinkedIn is on trust and, when you look at a profile and see a professional headshot and “Recruiter” badge, you have the feeling of security.

Impersonating High-Profile Companies

Many scammers have created highly sophisticated fake company pages for top companies, like Google.

Leveraging “Direct Access” InMail

Many scammers use LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator to be able to send you InMails that do not go into your regular

Strategically Data Scanning

Scammers use automated programs to scrape your skills, work history, and endorsements in order to create a

Exploiting the “Verified” Badge

Many scammers will target and hack legitimate “Verified” accounts. Once they gain access to an actual verified

Creating “Mutual Connections” Using Bots

Many scammers send out mass amounts of connection requests to users within their industry. Once they receive a

Using AI to Create Professionalism

By the year 2026, scammers will be using very sophisticated AI to Generate Professionalism in all areas.

Abusing the “Easy Apply” Function

By using LinkedIn’s built-in application procedure, they will typically post fake job openings, making it so very

Abusing the “Trending Hashtags”

Scammers will tag their fake profile posts with popular industry hashtags such as #Hiring, #OpenToWork and so on.

Impersonating Real HR People

Scammers find names of HR managers that work in a company and create “duplicate” profiles with the same name.

Exploiting “Group” Trust

Scammers will join niche professional groups like “Java Developers” or “Remote Marketing Pros” and post fake job opportunit

Using the Trust of “Groups”

Scammers will join professional groups specific to their areas and will post fake job opportunities, knowing that the members will likely have at least some trust for them based on their membership in those groups.

3. Top 7 Red Flags to Watch For

The following signs indicate a high probability (99%) of employment at a fraudulent place

1. Unusual Payment Method: Offering $80,000 yearly for a part-time data entry position would suggest this was part of the scam.
2. Unprofessional Email Addresses: A reputable recruitment agency will use and include their company’s domain (for example, na**@*******ft.com). Be cautious about using an email like mi***********@***il.com or hr***********@*****ok.com.
3. Interview Conducted Through Text: A legitimate employer would never conduct an interview solely through an application for texting like WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal.
4. Payments Required Prior To Employment: No legitimate employer would ever request that you pay to provide a computer, software or pay for a security screening.
5. Acts of Urgency and Coercion: Scammers often try to get you to hurry by providing time limits (i.e., Your offer will be valid only for 2 hours).
6. Poor Grammar and Misleading Statements: All resumes would typically go through more than one stage of editing by humans before they were ever posted.
7. No Formal Interview Process: You’ve been hired without the benefit of video conferencing or a face-to-face meetings: this is fraud.

4. Common Types of Job Scams in 2026

Common Employment Scams

The Equipment Check Scam is that a “company” sends you a fake check so you can purchase the equipment to set up your home office. The company misleads you into depositing the check and sending the money left over to their supplier.

The “Premium” LinkedIn Training Scam is where a recruiter tells you you’re a good fit for the job but must first obtain a certificate. They provide a link for you to pay for this. After you pay, the recruiter will no longer be in contact with you.

The Phishing Application Scam is that you click “apply” on the recruitment web site to be taken to a fake login page. After you enter your email address and password, the fraudster will be able to take over your LinkedIn account and spam your contacts.

Additional Scam Schemes

1. The “Money Mule” Scheme (Payments made using) is for a job as a “Financial Assistant” or “Payment Processor”. You will be able to take payments into your bank account and send money to a random place or person through crypto or bank wire transfer. This is a method of getting people to launder money.
2. The Package Reshipping scheme is to be hired as an employee. You will receive packages at your home and then send them out of the country. The items are usually bought with stolen or fake credit cards. Once you send the package, you have aided the unjust relationship.
3. The Proceed to the software trial by downloading the “proprietary task management tool” or “video interview software” that the recruiter has provided to begin your trial period. This file is, in fact, a trojan or ransomware that captures your browser passwords as well as all of your personal documents.
4. Prior to the interview, the employer will request that you provide them with a credit report or background check via a specific link they have provided to you. You will then be required to pay a fee (typically between $30-50) for the report and the employer will not pay for either the report or your incurred fees. The job will also, in fact, not exist.
5. Your interview takes place through Google Forms or Telegram in lieu of a virtual interview. You are provided with a few questions to answer through a Google Form or a Telegram chat message and are then offered a position. This is a red flag scam since you are providing the scammer with personal information and the scammer never shows their face on-screen.
6. Employment Scams: Overpayment Fraud
   You are hired, and then your new employer tells you they mistakenly sent too many checks to you for your first paycheck or sign-on bonus. They ask you to send the extra money back to them using Zelle or Venmo. Then, they reverse the deposit back to the employer because they were discovered to have been stolen from you by the very bank that issued the check you deposited.
7. Crypto-Wallet Integration
   Many Web3 and Tech skills are targeted with this new scam of companies asking you to “test” their new software platform. You are asked to connect your existing Meta Mask or other crypto wallet to a “development portal.” Once you are connected, a malicious script is run that removes all of the crypto and NFTs from your wallet.
8. Secret Shopper or Mystery Guest
   An organization sends you a check at your home. They ask you to go to a local store and make purchases using the company’s gift cards to provide an evaluation of their store’s customer service. After you purchase the gift cards, they ask you to take a picture of the codes and send them to the manager. Once the manager has received the codes, you will never hear from them again and will soon receive a refund for the check you deposited.
9. Identity Theft Application Scams
   An employer sends you an official-looking PDF application and, almost immediately, requests sensitive information including the name of your mother’s maiden name, your complete Social Security Number, and a variety of other sensitive personal information.
10. Scam of “Headhunting” Through Online Representations
    After communicating with a headhunter supposedly on behalf of a specific company and getting an interview over a period of several weeks, the headhunter tells you to pay them ‘placement fees’ or ‘guarantee deposits’ which will be refunded to you by the company in your first paycheck from them. When you send the funds, you will never hear from the headhunter again.

5. How to Validate an Employment Offer

Pro Tip: Always check to see whether or not an employment opportunity posted on LinkedIn is valid before responding to it.

• Search the Company Website: Visit the web page of the company and look for the ‘profession’ or ‘job listing’ section. If the job reference number is NOT available on their website, then it is most likely that the opportunity you are investigating is a scam.
• Call the Employer: Look for the corporate telephone number, call the number and ask to speak with HR to confirm the recruiter.
• View Recruiter’s Profile Age: Study the duration of time each recruiter has had a LinkedIn account. Does the recruiter have 500+ LinkedIn ‘connections’? How long has each recruiter had their LinkedIn account? Have they been a member of LinkedIn for several years or have they only had their LinkedIn account open for a couple of weeks?

6. 20 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)