SCAM REMINDER: This particular one is for GSK, but is representative of what is happening.
Someone will reach out and either "recruit" you for a job, or recommend you apply for a job. Generally it's with a large, well known company. You'll apply and then someone will follow up saying your resume needs to be "ATS optimized," and they'll recommend you to a resume writer to do so.
That's the scam. If you pay the resume writer, you'll never hear back. There was never a job, and the person from the large, well known company never worked there.
Here's a good way to check, using this one as an example:
1) First, this guy, "Alexander Kane," has MULTIPLE LI profiles. Red flag #1.
2) None of his profiles have any followers. Red flag #2, especially for someone working at a large, well known company.
3) All of his profiles were created in 2026. Red flag #3, especially with an executive who has supposedly been working a long time and for a large company.
4) No verifications. Red flag #4. By itself, not a red flag, but when combined with all of these, definitely makes the case.
5) Only LI activity on any of the profiles is recommending people to apply for jobs. Red flag #5.
These guys are insidious. They're good at what they do. Don't feel embarrassed or anything if you fell for one at some point. They're preying on people who need jobs and the fears of ATSs that's out there, and they're very, very good at it.
Check out the screen shot. To see the verifications and when the profile was created, click on the name in the profile. That will show you what kind of verifications (if any) someone has, and when they created their profile.
Happened to me this week. Thank you for posting this information. It's borderline cruelty for those of us in dire need of viable employment.