Scams that target job-seekers are nothing new.
The saga of Madbird
To job seekers, Madbird seemed like a dream opportunity.
In 2020, Madbird hired more than 50 employeessales people, designers, supervisors.
But, according to aBBC investigation, it was an elaborate ruse.
The company existed only on paper and online.
None of the 42 companies listed as clients on Madbirds site had worked with the company.
At least six of its senior employees were nothing more than headshots and resumes stolen from other websites.
Ayads motivation is murky.
Unlike most scammers, he didnt seem to target money from his employees.
He might have started the entire thing as a way of getting an actual company off the ground.
were lured to Indonesia with the promise of work on a major film to be released in China.
This would go on for days, until eventually, the marks would smell a rat and fly home.
But the money never came.
When Razdan contacted Harvard, they informed her that there was no job.
The entire employment saga was an elaborate ruse conducted online for reasons no one can figure out.
Its a huge amount of effort and no payoff that weve identified.
Here are a few tips for recognizing and avoiding both types of job scams.
The Hollywood scammer impersonated well-known Hollywood executives convincingly without even having to make a website.
So understand how difficult it can be to spot a fake job.
If something doesnt smell right, take your suspicion seriously.
Request that they turn on their camera if youre using Zoom.
Nidhi Razdan was a respected broadcast journalist with decades of experience, and she still got duped.
Most industries are ultimately pretty small, and people talk.
If you dont know anyone in the field, try posting online.
A quick does this look legit?
post toReddits r/scam boardcould be all you need.
So tell the cops, your friends, and social media.
The Hollywood scammer was caught and eventually imprisoned because victims went to authorities and shared their stories publicly.
