Fraudulent job postings propagate in the wild, FBI warns

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cautioned the public regarding fraudulent job postings designed to deceive applicants and involve them in scam operations across Southeast Asia.

These deceptive schemes, orchestrated by Chinese organised crime groups, have witnessed significant growth recently, with Cambodia serving as a central location for such activities and Myanmar emerging as an increasingly prominent hub.

Victims are forced into illicit operations, commonly called “pig butchering,” where cybercriminals establish fake relationships with unsuspecting individuals before exploiting and defrauding them.

 

The FBI’s alert is directed at US travellers, although most victims of fraudulent job postings come from other regions like Asia.

 

Labour trafficking has been linked to precarious manual jobs, but the rise of cyber trafficking in Southeast Asia has created a demand for a well-educated workforce proficient in technology and language skills.

This shift has led cybercriminals to expand their reach and target a wider pool of potential victims. As highlighted in the notice, criminal actors primarily focus on victims in Asia by using deceptive employment schemes and posting counterfeit job advertisements on social media and online employment platforms.

These fraudulent job postings often lure individuals with promises of positions in tech support, enticing them with attractive salaries and benefits packages.

Upon the arrival of job seekers in foreign countries, threat actors use coercive tactics such as confiscating passports and travel documents, making violent threats, and even resorting to violence to compel them into participating in cryptocurrency investment schemes.

These traffickers frequently burden victims with fake debts, such as travel fees, which they are forced to repay by engaging in profitable scams. The usual pattern involves trafficked scammers establishing online and phone relationships with victims worldwide. The victims are also forced to make fraudulent cryptocurrency investments, leading to their funds being stolen.

Countries like Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Russia, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe, among others, are among the origins of these malicious activities.

To protect themselves, the FBI advises job seekers to conduct extensive research on companies before accepting job offers, exercise caution when presented with unusually high salaries, and share employment and contact details with trusted individuals.