Line/WhatsApp Recruitment Agency scams – what is it about?

31 comments

1. Literally happened to me this morning.

   Guy from Chile.

   He didn’t ask me for personal details or anything though like what are they trying to get?

2. > I have been wondering, how exactly would one be scammed this way? What are they after with this style?

   My guess would be they would get your info. By eventually asking for your CV or similar. Then possibly request more info, like linkedin profile or social media and so on. Then possibly try to use the information gathered to break into your linkedin or your email provider or something else (to steal your identity/data/whatever) as they now have some info to use to try and guess your passwords and shit like that.

   Or maybe after sending the CV you’d need to “pay” some amount for interview or for your “chance” to be higher priority than other applicants or something.

   All this probably ending with them blocking you as soon as they got into some of your accounts and/or got your money.

   Could be also just gathering “live” mobile phone numbers for further spamming/phishing attacks, if you reply now they know it’s some real person behind it.

3. I keep getting random messages and calls on WhatsApp… I block and report all of them. Have already silenced all unregistered number callers in the settings so they don’t bother me, but that’s about it…

4. May I suggest r/Scams . And if you are really in the mood r/scambait

   ​

   Also, don’t use Whatsapp…..at all

5. Some of them try to get you to pay for placement (and ghost you as soon as they have your funds).

   Some have a “dream job” opening, but you need a certification to apply – so they refer you to a place where you can get the certification in a hurry… for a fee (and ghost you as soon as they have your funds).

   Some are trying to gather personal information, which they then use to open lines of credit in your name.

   Some are trying to gather information they can use to hack your email and other accounts for various purposes

   * Hacked accounts can be sold. Email accounts can be sold for a few bucks a pop, iCloud accounts for 8-10 bucks, etc.
   * Access to your email can likely get them into online banking or other ways for them to drain your accounts
   * If you have an Internet registrar account, they can use it to register domains for online fraud and phishing
   * Online merchant accounts can be used by review bots to pad reviews for merchandise, or they can just order gift cards on your stored credit information, then use the codes from other hacked accounts to send merchandise to cronies who sell them on auction sites.

   TLDR: They’re either out to defraud you of money directly, or to get your personal info to use in other forms of fraud.

6. Glad to see I’m not the only one getting them. Most recent one was from someone claiming to be from Bizreach, which is how I got my last job, but the number was from Bangladesh.

   God knows where they got the information from.

7. I block and report all.

8. I got message about an hour ago. 2nd time for me.

9. Glad it’s not just me! So many messages over the last month

10. I’ve been getting a ton the past week. I made a post on LinkedIn about it and got a lot of comments of similar experiences

11. In Line: Settings > Privacy > Filter messages

    Turn it on to reject messages from those who are not in your Friends list

12. I don’t think WhatsApp is even used in Japan. Never heard of it before (been in the country over a decade) so I’d wager anything related to a foreign messaging app would be a scam

13. Yes same here. Inundated with these fuckers.

14. https://preview.redd.it/ktjxympdahib1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=720ba90b006ac910b9713bd996c740adc21c4fff

    this is how i handled it,,,,, xdddd

15. I just don’t get texts, I get missed calls in WhatsApp. It’s so irritating. Blocked 30+ numbers!

16. I wish whatsapp had a feature to block unknown numbers. These messages are really annoying. I’ve been receiving a lot recently.

17. I had one on WhatsApp that claimed they need English speakers in japan to test apps. The username and the name they went by were different, they ‘one rang’ me a bunch of times.

    Block, report and move on.

18. I’ve gotten a few of them recently via Viber around midnight saying they’re from Skillhouse. Directly block and report lol

19. Hey all!!!

    Recruiter here with 17 years’ experience living in Japan and 13 years’ experience in agency side recruitment in Japan.

    The company Robert Half (one of the worlds biggest recruitment agencies who also has a huge presence in Japan) was hacked.

    Here is there assessment or acknowledgement from Robert Half about the situation: [https://www.roberthalf.jp/en/security-alert-impersonation-of-robert-half-employees](https://www.roberthalf.jp/en/security-alert-impersonation-of-robert-half-employees)

    Their database was hacked and leaked and so so so…… many peoples personal information ex. Phone numbers, email addresses, current salaries, addresses, personal info etc. has been leaked.

    I received a spam mail this morning as well and received another one 2 weeks ago.

    If you are receiving a random message on WhatsApp, LINE or direct text message from someone you don’t know saying that they are from Robert Half and they have a job opportunity for you that doesn’t give any specific details about what the job itself is, it is a scam to get your credit card info. (even if they are using the name of an actual employee from Robert Half or sending you an email with the actual name of a RH employee but not from the official RH company domain address.)

    If you are contacted on LinkedIn, CareerCross, Bizreach or any other professional networking systems it is most likely legitimate. But still do your due diligence before replying to sudden contact.

    Hope this helps.

    Also before you get mad at Robert Half please understand that Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram etc. actually actively sells your information to third parties and Robert Half is merely a victim of a cyber attack which caused the leak despite them having IT security already in place to protect their customers personal info.

    So not their fault.

20. I got those messages on telegram too

21. Got 3-4 such messages within last two weeks.

22. Getting these everyday now. And no matter how many times I block/silence, they still coming back. Once back, I went on with it just to see “the catch” they said the job is to work reviewing apps, anyone else got the same?

23. I’m getting a lot of these not on LINE or WhatsApp but on telegram. I’m not sure why either, but it’s absolutely happening on tele.

24. A lot of scammers pass themselves off as working for legitimate well-know agencies. You also can’t trust LinkedIn profile because they are easy to fake too. But you can’t fake an email address so if you can separately call up the real agency through their general number and say you received a contact from <name> they can help confirm and put you in touch.

    Recruiting agencies deal with this scam regularly so they will know what you are talking about

25. I don’t get it on Whatsapp but I have been getting it on Telegram.

    Every other day I get a message asking if I work i Japan, and then 24 hours later I find the account is deleted.

    It’s really annoying because there’s nothing on my security settings on Telegram to block people I don’t know, and if these accounts got my phone number via the leak then it counts as someone you don’t know.

    So I usually just ignore them and delete the chat as soon as their account is deactivated, but I have blocked so many phone numbers in the last month

26. Dang, same with me!
    It’s so annoying. I also get direct calls on Whatsapp.. I just report and block right away.

    It’s so annoying. I wish whatsapp added a feature to block incoming calls from “xx” country.

27. It’s a scam. They ask you to do tasks on different platforms like eBay, Lazada, Amazon etc, and you get a commission. Once you started, and you actually get commission, get more confident and go independent that’s when you need to put your own money and get the commission after completing the tasks. Problem is, you hit the “lucky” orders/tasks, with total commission higher than the initial sum paid, you need to pay the difference otherwise you can’t complete the tasks and don’t get the money. Initial capital and commission. Tricky.

28. I Darryl, have made a fake CV for this very occasion. I was contacted by a Madrivo recruitment, fake of course but they still could not answer on to how they my number. I keep telling them to send me an official email if they have my info.

29. This blog explains the process (more so the comments on the blog)

    &#x200B;

    [https://www.cybertrace.com.au/beware-of-fake-job-scam-the-app-growth-specialist-trap/](https://www.cybertrace.com.au/beware-of-fake-job-scam-the-app-growth-specialist-trap/)

    &#x200B;

    Basically they give you “job” – get money fast mlm schemes , at first you actually make money but when you want to withdraw they don’t let you saying you need to put money into their fake website to get money out

30. They’ve been spamming me on Telegram

    weirdly enough no similar stuff on Line or WhatsApp….

31. I’ve been getting these on Telegram and Viber.

    Usually it’s an insta report and block. Once in a while I let them ask their question, then immediately follow with a “no” and report/block.