Job Seekers Report Fake Profile Using Stolen Photos In 2025

People looking for jobs in Manchester and all across the UK are warned to watch out for fake recruiters to stay protected. The data collected by the BBC shows that reports of job scams nearly doubled from 2,094 in 2022 to 4,876 in 2024. Apart from that, the Federal Trade Commission reveals that reports of job scams tripled between 2020 and 2024, and losses rose from $90 million to $501 million. This is a strong indication that these frauds are expected to rise in 2025, which is a threat to the local job market and job seekers and needs immediate attention. 

Here Is How Fake Profile Job Scams Work, Victims Say

Running job scams through fake profiles has become a more designed and organized shameful activity these days. This typically begins with fraudsters impersonating real companies by creating phony accounts in their names. Not just that, the victim revealed that such accounts were linked to websites and contact details that looked legitimate. 

On top of that, scammers use stolen photos of credible organizations to further gain trust so that they can run the scam smoothly. In most cases, they target you by offering highly attractive positions, especially the remote ones, with too-good-to-be-true perks and benefits. 

After that, job seekers like you are led through a convincing but entirely fake hiring process that includes real-like interviews and offer letters. According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), here is what they mainly intend to do:

• Pushing you for money through different tactics, like asking to book a training course or simply paying to secure the job before another candidate reserves it. 

• Stealing your personal information by asking for your driver's license, social security, bank account details, and other sensitive data. 

Industries The Job Scam Victims Belong To The Most

Scammers usually target the industries with the highest job demand. An independent job scam study conducted by Heimdal found that finance was the most targeted sector, accounting for 35.45% of scams. IT comes next at 30.43%, followed by healthcare at 15.41%, Retail at 8.77%, Education at 6.23%, and Customer Service at 3.90%. 

Fraudsters focus on these professions because they know people want them badly. Let's talk about finance and IT; Workers face lots of competition and are more likely to respond to an offer quickly. On the other hand, healthcare and education usually have urgent hiring or high turnover, which cybercriminals use to scam candidates. 

Platforms Scammers Use To Impersonate Identities For Job Scams