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- They throw in the fall: how scammers use the topic of job search before September
They throw in the fall: how scammers use the topic of job search before September
Fraudsters may use various employment schemes to deceive Russians before the start of the autumn season, experts have warned about this. At the end of summer, the number of people who are actively looking for work traditionally increases, which does not go unnoticed by intruders. For details on what employment schemes to expect from scammers before the autumn 2026 season, what are the dangers of such tricks and how to protect yourself from them, read the Izvestia article.
Why is the topic of job search at the end of summer interesting to scammers
At the end of summer, the number of people who are actively looking for work traditionally increases, says Evgeny Egorov, a leading analyst at the Digital Risk Protection department at F6, in an interview with Izvestia. These applicants include college and university graduates, seasonal workers whose summer employment is coming to an end, as well as those who want to change jobs.
—Graduates who are inexperienced in employment are especially vulnerable: they are often willing to share personal information and even pay money with the promise of future earnings," says the expert. — It is this combination of increased demand for jobs in the labor market, the vulnerability of candidates and their willingness to make quick financial decisions that makes the topic of job search attractive to fraudsters.
In addition, as Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR director of the Security Code Information Security company, notes, potential employment is always associated with providing a sufficiently large amount of information about the applicant, which means that the person is potentially ready to transfer copies of their personal documents without asking unnecessary questions, which is also interesting for intruders.
According to Evgeny Egorov, scammers offer jobs with "high income" and minimal or no qualification requirements as lures. Due to this, cybercriminals seek to increase the audience of potential victims in the expectation that users will trust tempting offers.
What kind of employment schemes should we expect at the end of summer 2026
Before the start of the autumn 2026 season, network scammers will continue to develop a multi–stage imitation of hiring using artificial intelligence (AI), predicts the deputy head of the department of audits and compliance with information Security requirements of the Ural Center for Security Systems Ksenia Kuznetsova.
"The attackers build lengthy correspondence, use professional terminology (including from the fields of IT and law), send test assignments, photos of offices, and even conduct "interviews" via video calls," says the Izvestia interlocutor. — This creates the illusion of a real selection for a large corporation, which lulls the applicant's vigilance before extorting money or sensitive data from him.
In addition, according to her, fraudsters may offer to download a video communication application or other "specialized software" under the guise of interview programs. In fact, it is a Trojan steeler capable of extracting saved passwords, bank card data, information from messengers, session tokens, and much more.
Maxim Markin, an information security specialist at the Digital Economy League, adds that one of the most likely schemes is clones of vacancies and HR employee accounts. Fraudsters use the names, logos, and real banking details of well-known companies, and sometimes operate through previously compromised employer accounts.
— After the first contact, they try to take the candidate away from a trusted site to a messenger or a branded chatbot, - says the expert. — There, the applicant is offered to fill out a questionnaire, "sign consent" on a third-party website, link a phone number, or pay for medical records, training, or equipment delivery. At the same time, a separate risk for IT specialists is a "test task" with an archive or project, the launch of which installs malware.
What employment schemes have you encountered before
Meanwhile, network scammers have been trying to speculate on the topic of hiring at the end of the summer season for several years. In particular, according to Marina Probets, an Internet analyst and expert at Gazinformservice, attackers had previously used tricks on the topic of "transferring money for paperwork" or "paying for an exclusive job database," which then turned out to be a dummy.
— There were also vacancies for "remote assistants" who were offered to perform easy tasks, and then they were required to pay a "commission" for the withdrawal of earnings that did not exist, — says the interlocutor of Izvestia. — In addition, we can recall "investment projects" under the guise of remote work, when the victim initially contributed "seed capital", and then these funds simply evaporated along with the "employer".
According to Ksenia Kuznetsova, the main targets of such attacks are graduates who have just entered the labor market, students looking for part-time work to combine with their studies, as well as current specialists who actively post resumes on open platforms, especially if they are focused on remote work.
The latter are at the greatest risk of downloading malware or getting on a phishing page, since the remote format initially assumes virtual interaction. At the same time, the danger of malicious tricks is not limited to the loss of several thousand rubles for a medical certificate or a uniform — fraudsters can steal money from online banking accounts or apply for loans with stolen passport data.
"There is also a risk of becoming a drop through which stolen money is withdrawn,— the specialist warns. — At the same time, the victim may not even realize that she was involved in droppery until the very moment the criminal case was initiated.
How to protect yourself from employment schemes in the late summer of 2026
In order to protect themselves from fraudulent schemes on the topic of employment before the autumn season – 2026, experts interviewed by Izvestia advise following certain safety rules. In particular, Evgeny Egorov recalls that a salary above the market, if such a condition is offered by an unknown large company, is one of the distinguishing features of fraudster ads.
— As a rule, a high income implies equally high requirements for a candidate, — the expert reminds. — The promise of a high and fast income, flexible schedule, lack of formal requirements for candidates are a characteristic feature of vacancies from scammers.
In addition, according to him, it is important to be critical of vacancies from messengers and social networks. If, in order to communicate in these ads, you are offered to write a personal message to an account or bot instead of transferring to a page on the company's official website or on a well-known employee search service, it is better to skip the message: scammers usually do this.
In turn, Maxim Markin reminds us: you can never pay for the opportunity to work. The candidate should not transfer money for seat reservations, cabinet activation, training, uniforms, equipment, medical records, or "salary withdrawal fees." You cannot accept assignments that suggest using your own card or account to receive and transfer other people's funds. Even a small initial payment does not prove the legality of such a scheme.
Links, files, and programs must be handled carefully. The address of the page for the questionnaire or signing documents must be checked character by character with the official domain of the company. You cannot install remote access programs, applications from files and archives, browser extensions, or unknown video communication tools at the request of an unknown recruiter. A test task should not require running a questionable executable file or disabling security features.
— Do not make a decision under pressure: the urgency of hiring does not cancel the right to pause and independent review, — concludes the interlocutor of the editorial office. — If the card details or the code have already been transferred, you should contact the bank immediately. If you install a suspicious file, delete it, check your device with an antivirus and contact our specialists. The fake job should be reported to the site, and if you lose money or documents, contact the police.
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