Several users of Adobe’s art-themed social media platform Behance have recently fallen victim to a sophisticated job scam involving fraudulent job offers from individuals claiming to be recruiters at autonomous driving tech company Waymo.
The details of this scam were first brought to light by a user on the Behance subreddit named u/Impressive-Fox-6719. They warned other Behance users to be cautious of fake Waymo recruiters offering high-paying design roles. According to the post, this scam follows a common fraud scheme. It starts with users being interviewed via Skype and then receiving a fake job confirmation along with a cheque for office equipment. Once the users confirm the deposit to the scammers, the money is redirected to another person via Zelle.
What makes this scam particularly convincing is the level of effort the scammers put into creating realistic hiring documents. u/Impressive-Fox-6719 mentioned that the scammers provide a very convincing 10-page PDF packet with Waymo branding, making it appear legitimate. They even go as far as requesting identification forms and asking victims to fill out tax forms, including their social security numbers.
To make matters worse, the fraudulent Waymo recruiters are posing as genuine employees of the company. One LinkedIn user, Barbara Teyssandier, who is a real Waymo recruiter, confirmed that she has been impersonated. However, not every genuine Waymo employee who has been impersonated has issued a warning, making it difficult to verify the authenticity of the job offers. Other Behance users have also reported encountering similar scams using the cover of different companies such as Zynga, a social game developer.
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Both Adobe and Waymo are aware of the issue and are urging Behance users to remain vigilant when it comes to any job offers that are being made. Waymo spokesperson Katherine Barna emphasized that the company conducts interviews either in person or over video conferencing and never through email, Telegram, or other platforms. Waymo collaborates with cybercrime experts and promptly notifies anti-fraud departments on career sites when they discover scam accounts, aiming to have them removed as quickly as possible.
Adobe, too, echoed this sentiment and assured users that they have various measures in place to prevent spam and phishing attempts on Behance. They actively flag accounts that violate their terms and allow users to report scam messages directly from their Behance inbox. Adobe Vice President Matthew Smith advised customers to be cautious of requests to communicate off-platform, especially on other social media sites, as they could potentially be scams.
Although this scam involving fraudulent job offerings is alarming, it is not unique to Behance. Behance, which Adobe acquired in 2012, serves as an online platform for creative individuals to showcase their work and portfolios. Consequently, it has become an attractive target for recruitment scams. Therefore, it is crucial for users to exercise the same caution they would on other recruitment platforms. This includes not opening suspicious links and verifying the identity of the recruiter. Behance has a dedicated guide on its website that provides additional information on how users can protect themselves from job scams on the platform.
In conclusion, the elaborate job scam targeting Behance users with fake positions at Waymo highlights the importance of staying cautious and vigilant while navigating online job offers. Users should be wary of any requests for personal information, especially social security numbers, and should always verify the authenticity of the recruiter and the company. By following these precautions, individuals can protect themselves from falling victim to such scams and ensure a safe and legitimate job search experience on platforms like Behance.
