By Phred Steer, Recruiting Expert at TYP Group  

Have you ever applied for a job that seemed perfect – only to hear nothing, ever again? 

You’re not alone. From scammy Whatsapp “dream roles” to fake job adverts designed to harvest CV’s that were never real, the epidemic of fake & misleading job opportunities is now one of the greatest threats facing the recruitment system. 

This isn’t new – but across my 30-year career, especially in last 5 years, I’ve watched it intensify, thanks to automation, generative AI, and shifting marketing pressures. 

❌ The Tactics Becoming Ubiquitous  

Here’s what we’re seeing more frequently and more sneaky in the field: 

• Fake outreach via WhatsApp, Telegram, or social media, often to harvest personal data, push fraudulent fees, or direct candidates into phishing traps 

• Ghost jobs with repeated adverts with no intention to hire, used to build candidate databases or signal “growth” 

• CV-fishing exercises, you apply, get “shortlisted,” then vanish into the ether 

• Salary inflation and “unicorn roles” especially in early-stage startups advertising roles with unrealistic compensation 

• Automation / AI-driven deception: chatbots or scripted voices finessing responses to extract deeper data 

• Use of masked or disguised phone numbers, bogus company domains, proxy agents 

• Agents blindly asking for your rate without checking role fit, just to lock you in 

• Ghosting by recruiters or hiring companies even after strong interview feedback 

• Unrealistic “unicorn” profiles: demanding narrow, hyper-specific skillsets, often ignoring soft traits like adaptability or culture fit 

When you combine all these, what you have is a trust crisis in recruitment for both candidates and credible employers. 

• Fake outreach via WhatsApp & social media: designed to harvest data or push fraudulent fees. 

• Ghost jobs: adverts re-posted repeatedly where no intention to hire exists. 

• CV fishing exercises: candidates apply, get “shortlisted,” and then hear nothing back. 

• Inflated salaries: Seed or Series A start-ups posting roles at £190–220k, far beyond realistic market norms. 

 And candidates aren’t imagining this. The data proves it: 

• Reports of recruitment fraud in the UK more than doubled in two years — from 2,094 in 2022 to 4,876 in 2024. (BBC) 

• The UK has seen a 237% rise in advanced-fee job scams since January 2025, with victims losing on average £1,420 (and some more than £5,000). (Lloyds Banking Group) 

• A recent study found 34.4% of UK job adverts were ghost jobs — almost one in three. In some professions, it’s much worse: veterinary nurses (59%) and software engineers (46%) are at the top of the list. (HR Review) 

• Nearly 30% of jobs posted on one major platform in Q2 2025 were identified as ghost jobs. Internal platform data suggests 4 in 5 companies have posted at least one ghost listing. (Recruiter) 

  📊 The Data Doesn’t Lie 

 Candidates aren’t imagining this, the evidence is stark: 

• 34.4% of UK job adverts were identified as ghost jobs, per Standout CV analysis. Veterinary nursing (59.1%) and software engineers (46.5%) are among the worst affected fields.   

• HRReview states that 1 in 3 UK job ads are ghost jobs.   

• A survey of 649 hiring managers found that nearly 40% admitted their companies posted ghost jobs in a given year.   

• On the Greenhouse platform, 18–22% of active roles in any quarter are classified as ghost jobs.   

• Lloyds Bank reports job scams in the UK have surged 237% since January 2025, with average losses ~£1,420 (some victims report over £5,000).   

• JobsAware,  a UK service helping scam victims recorded a 259% rise in job scam reports from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023.   

• Hireserve reports a 35% year-on-year increase in job scams in one quarter, particularly via fake adverts that clone recruitment workflows.   

• The UK lost £33.2 billion to fraud across all forms in 2024 which is the highest in Europe.   

• Crowe UK’s earlier research estimated recruitment fraud cost UK organisations £23.9 billion annually (pre-pandemic baseline).   

 These aren’t marginal anomalies, they are systemic distortions. 

 💰 Why Inflated Salaries & “Unicorn Roles” Should Raise Alarms 

 Consider the scenario: a Seed or Series A startup advertises a CMO role in the UK with a package of £190,000–£220,000. Here’s why that alone demands scrutiny: 

1. Early-stage economics are lean. Founders often operate on tight personal budgets. Paying that kind of cash early is rarely sustainable. 

1. Bait-and-switch tactics. The job may lure attention with high salary, but when you dig into the equity component or performance conditions, the real payout shrinks drastically. 

1. Misaligned expectations. The organisation often needs a “builder” someone used to ambiguity and scrappiness, not a big-company exec used to layered teams and process. 

1. Optics over substance. Inflated ads can create market buzz or give the impression of scale, regardless of whether the role is genuinely backed. 

 When you see compensation figures that outstrip realistic benchmarks for stage, team size, and fund runway, that’s a major red flag. 

 🔍 Sector-Specific Pressure Points 

 While the problem permeates broadly, some sectors are especially vulnerable: 

• Tech & Software: With tech roles down sharply post-2020, supply outpaces demand, making inflation and ghost ads more tempting. Some UK tech job adverts have halved since 2019–20. 

• Healthcare & Social Care: Fraud reports in care sectors are rising. Migrant care workers have reported being charged thousands for jobs that never materialized. 

• Marketing / Professional Services: Misrepresentation is rampant (e.g., “pensions” listed as perks when they are legally required). 

• Gig / Remote Work: The flexibility and anonymity of gig roles make them ideal cover for scam operators. 

🔍 Sector-Specific Impact 

 The damage isn’t equal across industries: 

• Tech: UK tech job adverts have halved since 2019/20, with programmer/software roles down by almost 70%. Fewer real opportunities mean fake or inflated roles stand out even more. (NFER) 

• Healthcare: NHS Fraud reports rose from 5,048 in 2022-23 to 6,367 in 2023-24, with vulnerabilities estimated at £1.3 billion. In care recruitment, a six-fold rise in complaints from migrant workers shows people being charged thousands in fake “fees” for jobs that don’t exist. (CFA, The Guardian) 

• Marketing & Professional Services: Studies show up to 49% of job ads list pensions as “perks” — even though they’re a legal requirement. Misrepresentation is rife, even when jobs are real. (HR News) 

 🌍 Why This Crisis Matters Deeply 

• Wasted time & disillusionment: Jobseekers invest hours or days chasing roles that don’t exist, undermining trust in platforms and recruiters. 

• Reputational damage: Even legitimate firms risk being tarred by association if their industry is viewed as opaque or predatory. 

• Distorted talent markets: Ghost roles muddy supply-demand signals across sectors. 

• Inequality & youth impact: Younger workers are disproportionately targeted, over 50% of known job scam victims fall into the 18–34 age group. (See Lloyds / Independent reporting)   

🌍 Why This Matters 

 The result? 

• Candidates waste time and lose trust. 

• Companies risk reputational damage when they’re perceived as misleading. 

• The talent market becomes noisy, opaque, and harder to navigate. 

 And critically — this disproportionately affects younger jobseekers. Over 50% of job scam victims are aged 18-34, the very group building the next wave of skills and careers.  

✅ How We Can Shift the Market 

 Platforms like ours (currently in the making) and trusted agencies have a role to play: 

• Protecting candidates from scams and CV-harvesting. 

• Helping companies commit to transparency in how they advertise and recruit. 

• Building a trusted network where authentic roles rise above noise and inflated promises. 

 ✅ How an Ethical Shift Could Rebalance the Market 

 At TYP Group, we see a path forward. Here’s how we  and others can help reset trust: 

 For Platforms & Tech Providers 

• Rigorous verification (company identity, domain validation, recruiter credentials) 

• “Trusted role” badges or audit trails for legitimate jobs 

• Real-time scanning for duplicate or re-posted ghost listings 

• Data-sharing around scam patterns (with privacy safeguards) 

 For Recruitment Agencies & Employers 

• Transparency in compensation and equity structure 

• Clear communication by discussing the role history, budget constraints, hiring timing 

• Responsiveness to candidates, that’s even in rejection 

• Ethical agency practices: vet role legitimacy before marketing 

• Partnership with third-party verification / audit bodies 

 For Candidates 

• Be sceptical of “too good to be true” offers — especially unsolicited ones 

• Verify company domains, check employer reviews, request references 

• Never pay fees upfront for “access to roles” 

• Use trusted recruitment networks or certified platforms 

• Report suspicious ads, share experiences 

 🧭 Final Thought: Reclaiming Trust in Talent Markets 

Fake, inflated, or ghost job postings don’t just hurt individual jobseekers, they strain the entire recruitment ecosystem. If unchecked, they corrode trust, make talent translucent, and trash signal-to-noise ratios. 

But there is hope. With strong standards, shared accountability, and the right tools, we can flip the narrative. Real roles should rise above the noise and real talent should get the respect (and compensation) they deserve. 

👉 If you’re a candidate or an employer and you’d like to discuss what to watch out for or how TYP Group is building safer pathways, you can Be part of the mission by joining our mailing list to stay close to the journey, get early access, and help us reshape recruitment together: enquiries@typgroup.org

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If you’re a candidate, 👉 follow our page or join our mailing list to stay informed, spot red flags, and access genuine opportunities.

If you’re a company, 👉 partner with us to raise hiring standards and rebuild trust in recruitment.

📩 Join the mission: enquiries@typgroup.org