Jobseekers warned of LinkedIn crypto scam after victim loses £18,000
Quick Look
- Jobseekers are being warned about a rising scam on professional networking sites where fake recruiters trick victims into downloading malicious software disguised as interview tools, leading to cryptocurrency theft.
- One victim lost £18,000 in savings after completing a fake technical assessment on a compromised Google Sheet, prompting emotional distress and urgent warnings from LinkedIn and Indeed about verifying job offers and researching companies before engaging.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Scammers are increasingly targeting jobseekers on professional platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed by posing as recruiters and distributing malicious software disguised as interview tools, particularly exploiting competitive job markets where candidates may overlook red flags.
Jobseekers are being warned to be vigilant as scammers are targeting people on job listings websites to trick them into downloading bogus interview tools.
One victim was invited on LinkedIn by a fake recruiter to take part in a job interview process and downloaded a normal-looking document which turned out to be malicious software.
Within hours the hackers had drained his cryptocurrency accounts of £18,000 of savings and disappeared.
"It's a horrible feeling to be out a substantial amount - something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy," the victim, who wanted to stay anonymous, said.
Professional recruitment platforms LinkedIn and Indeed have warned of growing numbers of job scams in recent months.
LinkedIn released data highlighting what it called The Gen Z "Scam Gap", external - "Younger professionals face the highest exposure to scams (32%), yet nearly a third (32%) admit to ignoring red flags due to a competitive job market."
When approached by the BBC, the company said in a crowded and competitive job market, "many young people feel they can't afford to be skeptical... because they feel opportunities are so scarce".
The platform pointed to advice on its website, external about how to spot recruitment scams by, for example, verifying that the company and job was real and doing thorough research before engaging in talks.
The victim who lost their savings after being hacked had handed his notice in and had made it clear on LinkedIn that they were looking for a new job.
A fake recruiter sent them a potential job offer and held a video call about the job before asking them to carry out a standard technical assessment with instructions on the Google Sheet document.
But the document was laced with malicious software.
After completing the task, the candidate went to bed and woke up to find their online wallets emptied of their savings.
"I wiped my computer and changed all my passwords and was exhausted emotionally and mentally drained," they said.
"I felt a mixture of disbelief and anger - at the hackers and at myself. I was also confused until I figured out how they had got me."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
LinkedIn and Indeed will introduce stricter verification processes for recruiters and job postings to reduce scam incidents.
Likely · Within months
Reports of job-related cryptocurrency scams will continue to rise as long as job markets remain competitive and scammers exploit urgency among applicants.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific type of malicious software was used in the attack?
- Are law enforcement agencies investigating this scam?
- How many similar incidents have been reported in the UK recently?
- What additional security measures are LinkedIn and Indeed implementing to combat these scams?
