Woman Exposes New Linkedin Scam After Spending Hours Preparing For 'Fake Interview': 'Everything Looked Legit'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A new LinkedIn recruitment scam is doing the rounds, and job hunt coach Vini has warned jobseekers to stay alert after she narrowly escaped a fake interview process that looked legitimate at every step.

In a viral Instagram reel, Vini shared how she applied for a role that appeared credible and professional, received a formal email response, and was sent what looked like a genuine interview link. Believing the opportunity was real, she spent hours preparing for the interview.

The first red flag emerged when the Zoom interview link worked only on Android and Windows devices and failed on iPhones and Macs. The link then prompted her to turn off her VPN - a request she says no legitimate recruiter would ever make. A closer look at the sender's email ID revealed a suspicious domain, confirming her fears.

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“That's when it hit me - I had been scammed,” Vini said in the reel.

Calling the experience frustrating and exhausting, Vini said she decided to speak up because of the growing number of students and professionals who are desperate for opportunities in a tough job market - and are increasingly being targeted by scammers posing as recruiters on LinkedIn.

Watch the video here:

She cautioned that genuine recruiters will never ask candidates to disable security settings, download unknown apps, or join interviews through device-restricted links. Vini urged jobseekers to verify company websites, cross-check recruiter profiles on LinkedIn, and trust their instincts if something feels off.

The reel has struck a chord online, with several users sharing similar experiences of fake recruiters and suspicious interview links. As hiring shifts increasingly online, experts warn that awareness remains the strongest defence against digital job fraud.

A user wrote,“Mac to the rescue. Thankfully it's safe to use. Please be careful about it next time. Good luck with your future job interviews.”

Another user wrote,“Simply its not MAC protection but the exploit was been made specifically for Windows OS so it lucky luckily didn't worked over Mac OS environment.”

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“Thank you so much for informing.. many youngsters in the hope of getting a mail, think of a job interview coming,” the third user wrote.

A user shared a job listing scam,“My mom fell for a job listing scam before as well, she applied, went through the questionnaires, even received an email stating it was from the company and an interview time, my mom wanted to change the time slightly because she had an appointment the time they stated so she called the company directly and asked for the person she had received the email from and they informed her there was nobody by that name and they weren't even hiring.. basically always follow up even before an interview if possible.”

“Yes, it happened to me on Indeed. The company reached out to schedule an interview, but the link on the iPhone wouldn't open. I found the company's email on their official site and discovered they never posted a job. It's a scammer using their name,” shared another user.

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