Well, I hit that point where I’m being hit with a new type of spam. Yesterday I got two, and this morning I just got another one. Here’s how it works:
Someone replies to one of your posts with something like:
“There is currently an open IT Manager position available at [a well-known large company], which presents a fantastic opportunity for someone with your qualifications.
The hiring process is being overseen by a colleague… You can reach out directly at [companyname@outlook.com
].”
Sounds legit, right? But here are the red flags:
- Domain giveaway – No large company is going to use @outlook.com, @gmail.com, or @yahoo.com. They’ll use their official domain (e.g., @gm.com, @chevron.com, @americanexpress.com).
- Suspicious profile – The photo is usually a stock headshot pulled from a photography site. The account has little activity and only 0–5 followers.
- The “resume trap” – Once you email them, they’ll send you a job description (likely scraped from what you’ve already shared) and say it’s perfect for you. Then comes the hook.
“Are you available in the next 10–15 minutes so we can push this to HR?”
Then suddenly, “Oh no! Your resume doesn’t meet the executive standard. You only have 6 hours to fix it before the opportunity is gone. Contact this person at a Gmail/Yahoo account to rewrite it for a fee.”
Trust me: there is no job. The only thing they’re selling is a fake resume rewrite service, preying on people’s hopes.
What I do
I report every one of them I see. I wish these scammers all the “good will” LinkedIn and the companies can give them.
💡 Tip for scammers: When picking your mark, maybe don’t go after someone with a background in cybersecurity. I log and track everything. You might annoy us enough to start taking real action.
And I’m reminded of this line from a movie:
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.”
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethdoerhoff/
My Resume: https://tectuma.com/Kenneth_Doerhoff_Resume.pdf
