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Fake job postings
Cybercriminals are now leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for recruitment fraud, which has fooled many job seekers and put businesses in a bad light.
Job scam reports surged to 118% in 2023 in the United States, according to data from the Identity Theft Resource Center. Critically, American consumers lost $367 million to job and business opportunity scams in 2022, a 76% increase, according to The Federal Trade Commission.
Outside the U.S., these criminals have targeted vulnerable countries with high employment rates, like Kenya and Ghana. Figures from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service show that employment fraud has increased by 75%.
The criminal underworld has been using AI to impersonate companies, create convincing fake job postings, and automate their nefarious operations at scale. Amid hybrid work arrangements all over the world, scammers can lull victims and destroy companies’ reputations with a click of a few buttons. It might even cause employee dissatisfaction and turn off future applicants because who wants to work for a company with a bad image?
Safeguarding brand identity
This development highlights how valuable a company’s brand and identity are in the digital world. A strong company identity could drive up financial performance, attract top talent, and help with market differentiation. A well-thought-out brand could also help a business remain afloat through unexpected economic downturns through customer trust.
The best businesses in the world spend great efforts creating and shielding their brand identity, often with the help of offshore third-party firms. The logo alone — made up of unique color combinations, specific typefaces, and symbolical imagery — already informs applicants and future clients about what the company is all about. A logo or company name could represent an idea, what industry the firm is a part of, or what the business values the most.
In addition to internal measures to develop and protect company identity, companies collaborate with offshore firms to uphold this image. In today’s digital age, this involves monitoring their online presence, consistently engaging on social media platforms, safeguarding digital assets, tracking domain names, and carefully reporting fake job listings. Businesses also avail the services of managed service providers to fortify their cybersecurity.
A robust online presence is one of the most effective ways to combat recruitment fraud or any form of deception. It’s more than just a marketing tool or a way to inform your stakeholders of your business activities. Protecting your identity is one of the most important processes to future-proof your business.
The question for your business
How are you building and protecting your company’s identity?
