Increase in Employment Scams

Summary

Employment scams are increasing as cyber-criminals target job seekers and the unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NJCCIC’s email security solution has identified and blocked multiple employment scams attempting to be delivered to NJ state employees. Emails may contain specific job vacancies to convince the target to respond with personal or financial information; links to fraudulent employment websites; or attachments claiming to be resumes, resume pictures, or other employment information. Tactics and techniques used may include a sense of urgency to respond, an offer that is “too good to be true,” and the impersonation of HR recruiters. In this example, the email is generic, vague, and contains grammatical errors. Additionally, it is not customized to the recipient, does not reference a specific job vacancy, and does not include an email signature.

Recommendations

The NJCCIC recommends users and organizations educate themselves and others on these continuing threats and tactics to reduce victimization. Users are advised to avoid clicking links and opening attachments from unknown senders and exercise caution with emails from known senders. If you are unsure of an email’s legitimacy, contact the sender via a separate means of communication – such as by telephone – before taking any action. In addition, we advise job seekers to research potential employers and businesses before responding and providing sensitive information.