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Peak recruitment season is here. Graduates are applying. Career changers are moving. People are tired and need income. And scammers? They’re licking their lips. In 2024, Australians lost $13.7 million to job scams. Average loss? Over $14,000. Not pocket change. But here’s the bit you probably didn’t hear about. Behind the scenes, something called the Job Scam Fusion Cell was launched. And it wasn’t just a government memo and a PowerPoint. It was: AFP and state police ANZ, CBA, Westpac SEEK, LinkedIn Google, Meta, TikTok Major crypto exchanges. All in one room. For six months. Not talking about scams. Disrupting them. Job scams were the fastest-growing scam type in 2023. Meaning this wasn’t a small problem. It was scaling fast. Here’s what came out of it:
The Fusion Cell didn’t eliminate job scams. But it made them harder to run. Harder to advertise. Harder to host fake websites. Harder to launder money through crypto. And that matters. Because scams thrive on frictionless systems. The more friction you create? The less profitable they become. But even with the disruption, these are the three scams still circulating: 1. Task-based “earn and recharge” scams: You complete fake tasks, then must “top up” your account to unlock commissions. Usually in cryptocurrency. 2. Upfront fee scams: You pay them for police checks, visas, equipment, training. They then vanish. 3. Money mule scams: You’re hired to “process payments”. You end up laundering stolen funds. But while the Fusion Cell removed tens of thousands of accounts. Scammers adapt quickly and love impersonating big brands. No legitimate employer in Australia will ever require you to:
Ever. Not in Perth. Not in Sydney. Not anywhere. However, the Job Scam Fusion Cell proves something important. Scams are not just an “individual awareness problem”. They are an ecosystem problem. And when banks, platforms and regulators share data and act together? Losses can be reduced. Yet, scammers are still creative. So stay sharp this recruitment season. Apply widely. But verify ruthlessly, and if you think you have been scammed, follow these steps from Scamwatch. ~Lisa Your Q&AThis Netflix Recruiter Said My Resume Isn’t Good Enough Hi Lisa, I’m looking for validation. I am 99% sure that this email is a scam. They have done a really great job. It almost fooled me. This is actually the second email in a back-and-forth exchange about internships at Netflix. The first email said that she “originally found me based on a comment I made on a LinkedIn post”. Here’s the most recent email: Dear Will,
Thank you again for your response and for the time and effort you’ve invested in sharing your background and materials.
After carefully reviewing your résumé, I want to be transparent with you in its current form, it does not yet meet the presentation and alignment standards required for internal consideration. At this level, résumés must clearly reflect structure, positioning, and keyword alignment consistent with how profiles are evaluated during initial screening. As it stands, your résumé would not successfully progress to the next stage.
That said, this is something that can absolutely be corrected. I strongly recommend working with a professional résumé specialist who understands how to properly position candidate profiles to meet current hiring and screening expectations. This step has helped many candidates significantly strengthen their presentation and successfully move forward in competitive processes.
Once your résumé has been professionally refined, you will be able to resubmit it for review and remain in consideration. Timing is important, so I encourage you to address this promptly to avoid delays in your evaluation.
Let me know if you would like to proceed with the professional résumé service so I can enable you to begin immediately.
Best regards,
They signed it with a signature that includes the name of an actual person who works in recruiting at Netflix (she is a contractor) and the signature includes a link to her LinkedIn profile and a link to the Netflix recruiting page. She is an actual real person who recruits for Netflix but this is spam, right? Also – the email it came from was [email protected] <[email protected]> She is a contractor but I still don’t think she’d have an alias email account. I am not paranoid right? This is not legit. Will Hi Will, You are not paranoid. You are correct. And I’m going to be blunt (because it’s Monday and I’ve only had one cup of tea). This is a scam. Contractor or not — no serious global company allows recruiters to run hiring processes from free email accounts. That’s HR 101. Further, everyone reading this will agree that no recruiter is peddling vague resume advice. Real recruiters progress you, reject you or ignore you. They also have zero interest in making you a better candidate by offering resume writing service. Aspirational brands are prime targets for these scams. But you spotted the pattern. Thanks for writing in. ~Lisa |
