Job Seeker Explains Two Scams He Encountered When Searching

https://www.businessinsider.com/job-seeker-explains-scams-he-encountered-2026-5

Publish Date: 2026-05-31 05:54:00

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Julius von Brunk, a 41-year-old graphic designer in New York City who encountered two recruitment scams during a recent job search. His identity and background have been verified. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

I’ve spent most of my career in graphic design, and from 2023 to 2025, I worked in the cybersecurity department of a large bank. My job was to design newsletters, presentations, and other content about cybersecurity.

Last summer, I began looking for a new job, and I encountered two scams along the way. The first happened early on. I had just left the bank and noticed that some former colleagues from my team had gotten jobs at another bank. I wanted to work there, too. I thought we could get the band back together. But I applied several times and got rejected, including for a position that sounded identical to the one I had previously held.

Out of desperation, I went on LinkedIn and searched for recruiters at the bank. I found somebody whose profile said they were a hiring manager there. The person’s account was set to private, so I couldn’t tell much about them, but their bio said that if you’re looking for a job at the bank, email them at a Gmail address. I thought it was weird that they didn’t list a company address.

I emailed this person, and I got a reply within minutes asking me to send over my résumé. I did that and included a brief spiel about who I am, where I’m from, and what I’m looking for. They ignored everything. They wrote back asking me where I’m from and what kind of job I’m looking for. That seemed fishy.

Their grammar was bad, too, which I also thought was weird. Why would an HR person type an email as if they’re texting?

Eventually, the person got back to me and came across as angry. They said my résumé was unacceptable. I replied and asked what was wrong with it. They said that to get my résumé up to the bank’s standards,…

Source