In a hiring scam, this process starts with a simple job post. Like in traditional phishing and other social engineering tactics, the cyber criminal on the other side of the screen is driven by a simple mission: convince their victim to follow an instruction or take an action that will ultimately provide access to data or funds. Preying on the desperation and anxiety of today's job seekers, scammers find success in communicating with "applicants" over encrypted messaging apps. With unemployment rates at a record low after the Great Resignation (or Great Reshuffle), today's job seekers are finding fewer opportunities now that a large percentage of those earlier job seekers have settled into their roles. Hiring scams are a popular choice for scammers. While privacy-concerned users appreciate these protections for personal use, criminals are particularly drawn to these benefits as they minimize the risk of being caught running scams and facing repercussions. Signal and Telegram specifically have laid out protections for users in their privacy statements preventing law enforcement agencies from accessing message content and user data, even in many forms of criminal investigations. The problem? These apps have become a breeding ground for misinformation, scams, and cyber criminal activity thanks to these same encryption and privacy features.
In addition to the need for digital connectivity that arose as a result of the pandemic, concerns about data privacy have also led millions of people worldwide to adopt the use of private messaging apps like Signal and Telegram in lieu of traditional texting and calling, due in part to the advanced encryption and privacy features these apps provide. Private messaging apps have been around for several years, but these key players have been on the rise since 2020. Why Hiring Scams Became Popular on Telegram, Signal, and other Messaging Apps In today's fast-paced digital environment, criminals are forced to become more creative as their pool of "easy targets" and "low-hanging fruit" begins to shrink. But as consumers and business users become more informed, especially through the growing prevalance of Security Awareness Training Programs, the "easy" and well-known scam tactics of years past are becoming less effective. Cyber criminals have the world at their fingertips thanks to the technology we use every day.
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