Unemployed Job Seeker Spends Two Years Exposing 60,000 Fake Recruitment Scams on LinkedIn

A job seeker who was laid off from his advertising career has spent the past two years doing something far removed from simply searching for his next role: hunting down fake recruitment scams online.

Chicago-area job seeker Jay Jones, who describes himself as 'The Profiler,' says he has helped get nearly 60,000 fake job listings removed from the internet, with most of the fraudulent postings appearing on LinkedIn. He has also flagged around 7,000 profiles that he believes were being used as part of recruitment scams.

His unusual mission began after he was laid off in late 2023. Instead of abandoning the job-search platforms that had become part of his daily life, Jones began investigating suspicious recruiters and employment listings, eventually turning his attention to the increasingly sophisticated ways scammers target desperate job seekers.

How Did Jones Find So Many Fake Jobs?

Jones' investigation has uncovered a recruitment scam ecosystem that goes far beyond obviously fake accounts.

Some scammers create batches of recruiter profiles using stolen photographs and similar personal information. Others reportedly hijack dormant LinkedIn accounts that already have verification or legitimate employment histories, giving fraudulent recruiters an appearance of credibility.

Scammers can also post supposedly legitimate vacancies through real company pages before directing applicants to outside websites or email addresses.

That makes the schemes particularly difficult for job seekers to identify. A profile can appear genuine, carry a verification badge and even appear connected to a real company while still being controlled by someone attempting to defraud applicants.

AI Is Making Recruitment Scams Harder To Spot

The scammers Jones has encountered are also reportedly using artificial intelligence to make their approaches more convincing.

Rather than sending identical messages to thousands of people, scammers can tailor recruitment pitches around information contained in a person's CV or LinkedIn profile. One potential scheme involves telling a job seeker that their CV needs improvement before offering to arrange professional assistance, sometimes for a fee.

Other scams attempt to obtain much more valuable information, including driving licence details, Social Security numbers and other personal data that could potentially be used for identity theft. The result is a scam that may initially look almost indistinguishable from a genuine recruitment conversation.

Some Scammers Are Hijacking Real LinkedIn Accounts

One of the more troubling patterns Jones discovered involves compromised accounts belonging to real people.

Some LinkedIn users have verified their identities and established genuine employment histories before eventually becoming inactive. According to Jones' findings, scammers can take control of such accounts and alter their professional information, potentially presenting themselves as recruiters working for legitimate businesses.

That combination can make a fake recruiter appear considerably more trustworthy.

Jones also found accounts that appeared to be falsely associated with a Colorado recruitment company. The company's chief executive reportedly hired him to help disconnect fraudulent profiles from its LinkedIn presence.

LinkedIn Says It Blocks Millions of Fake Accounts

LinkedIn has said it is already taking measures to combat fraudulent activity.

The company reported blocking nearly 90 million fake accounts before they became visible to users during the second half of 2025. It has also introduced additional safety features and worked with the FBI on educating people about recruitment scams.

However, the sheer number of suspicious accounts Jones says he has encountered demonstrates how persistent the problem can be.

LinkedIn's trust and safety team has also acknowledged that scammers continually adapt as new protections are introduced. Verification can make an account more credible, but it does not guarantee that every profile or job advertisement is legitimate.

Why Fake Job Listings Are So Dangerous

Recruitment scams exploit one of the most vulnerable moments in someone's life: when they desperately need employment.

A fake listing can waste hours of a person's time, but the consequences can become much more serious if scammers obtain financial information, identity documents or money.

For Jones, what started as an attempt to navigate a difficult job market has become an unexpected campaign against an industry of online fraud. His experience also serves as a warning to other job seekers. A polished LinkedIn profile, a familiar company name or even a verification badge does not necessarily mean a job opportunity is genuine.

And after two years of hunting fake recruiters, Jones appears to have discovered just how much work can be hiding behind the simple words 'We're hiring.'