How to tell a real recruiter from a fake one when AI hides the usual red flags

Juan Molina ·

Job scams now use real recruiters' names, tailored roles and flawless writing. Seven checks senior tech professionals can run in minutes before sharing anything.

The message looks perfect. A recruiter with a real name and a real LinkedIn profile writes about a role that fits your experience almost word for word, and the pay is generous. There isn't a single typo.

That's exactly what happened to a data analytics professional whose story Business Insider published this week (Business Insider, October 11, 2026):

  • The scammer had copied a real recruiter's photo and profile, and created a fake email address in her name.
  • The job description was tailored to his background, and the salary was about double what the role normally pays.
  • The classic warning signs (vague promises, fake company names, sloppy writing) had all been cleaned up, with help from AI.

What gave it away was one request. Instead of pointing him to the company's careers site, the "recruiter" suggested he first meet a "career consultant" to rework his résumé, the kind of step that usually ends with a payment request.

He's not alone. Research by Norton, cited by the recruitment firm Airswift, found that 33% of US adults have encountered a job scam or a suspicious job posting (Airswift, September 2026). Senior tech professionals are attractive targets: their profiles are public, their salaries are high, and when they're open to work they say so.

Here are seven checks you can run in a few minutes, before you share a CV, personal data or money.

1. Check the email domain, not just the name

A recruiter from a known company should normally write from that company's domain. A free webmail address is a reason to check further. It isn't always proof of fraud, since some independent recruiters use one, but it shouldn't be accepted on trust (Airswift). Scammers can also create look-alike addresses, so compare the domain letter by letter with the company's official website.

2. Find the role yourself

Don't click the link in the message. Type the company's web address yourself, go to its careers page, and look for the role. If it isn't there, ask the recruiter why. Confidential searches do exist, but a genuine recruiter can still describe the company, the team and the process (Airswift).

3. Contact the real person through a channel you choose

This is the check that confirmed the scam in the Business Insider story. The professional wrote to the real recruiter on LinkedIn and at her work email. She never replied, which told him the person writing to him wasn't her. Use contact details you find independently, never the ones in the message.

4. Be wary when the offer is far above the market

A role that pays far more than comparable roles is a classic hook. Airswift's guide points to offers 50–100% above the average as unlikely to be genuine (Airswift). In the Business Insider case, the pay was roughly double. A strong offer can be real, so treat an unusually high one as a reason to verify, not as good news.

5. Expect a real interview

Real hiring processes test you. Be careful with offers made without an interview, calls that only skim your past jobs, or interviews moved to unfamiliar messaging apps that require you to create an account (Airswift).

6. Never pay to be considered for a job

A genuine recruiter or employer doesn't charge you to apply, to be interviewed or to be put forward for a role. Recruiters are paid by the companies that hire. Be equally careful with requests for bank details, card numbers or full ID numbers before you have an offer and are in a real onboarding process (Airswift).

There is one honest distinction to keep. Services that review your CV or LinkedIn profile are legitimate when they say clearly that the review is the product. The Business Insider piece makes the same point. What's not legitimate is a payment presented as the way to get a specific job.

7. Slow down

Scams depend on urgency. A real recruiter can wait a day while you verify. If someone pushes you to decide, pay or share documents today, that pressure is itself the signal.

The short version

AI has removed the typos and the vague promises that used to give scams away. So check the things that are still hard to fake:

  • the company's own careers page;
  • an email domain you can verify;
  • a reply from the real person through a channel you chose;
  • a process that never asks you for money.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your CV and LinkedIn, so they work for you with real recruiters and hiring managers, that's what the CV + LinkedIn Diagnostic is for. It is a review of your documents, clearly priced, and never a promise of a job.

You can also post your profile for free, so companies hiring tech leaders can find you.