GenAI Helps Drive 118% Increase in Job Scams, ITRC Says

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) helped drive a 118% increase in job scams in 2023.

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) said in a June 26 press release about its 2023 Trends in Identity Report that these scams were primarily carried out through websites like LinkedIn or job search platforms.

“Identity thieves are improving at looking and sounding ‘legitimate,’ thanks in part to generative artificial intelligence, especially when it comes to job postings,” the ITRC said in the release. “Victims are facing more complex types of identity misuse with more severe impacts.”

The growing capabilities of AI systems have given a shot in the arm to cybercriminals and other bad actors looking to scam consumers and attack businesses, PYMNTS reported in December 2023.

The technology’s ability to generate human-like text, virtually clone loved ones’ voices and faces, and scale behavioral-driven attacks has expanded access to cybercrimes.

The increase in job scams seen in 2023 came during a year in which overall reports of scams decreased by 18%, according to the ITRC’s press release.

While job scams are increasing, they are nothing new, the ITRC said in a February press release.

In these scams, job seekers are targeted with phony job listings on job posting platforms or are contacted and told that they were scouted for a job (which, in truth, is fake). The identity criminals conducting the scams then ask job seekers for their sensitive personal information, such as their ID.me login, driver’s license or Social Security numbers.

Among other forms of identity crimes, Google Voice scams remain the most common, according to the ITRC’s report released in June. These scams were mostly carried out through social media platforms.

In these scams, scammers try to steal individuals’ personal information to create a fake Google Voice account in their name, which the scammers can then use to make it look as if they are making calls from the United States, the ITRC said in a June 1 press release.

To convince people to share this information, scammers often pose as buyers or sellers on online marketplaces, sometimes targeting those selling puppies, looking for lost pets, or renting out rooms.

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