Recruitment scams enter UK top 10, Virgin Media O2 warns

Virgin Media O2 has warned that recruitment scams are now among the 10 most reported scam types in the UK, rising to ninth place in its latest quarterly Scam Index.

Research cited by the telecoms group found that almost half of 18- to 24-year-olds had received a message offering a job they had not applied for. Among those who said they had fallen victim to a recruitment scam, 29% said they had been tricked into sending money or paying a fee, while 32% said they had clicked a link or downloaded an app or software.

The findings come amid concern about the number of young people looking for work. Virgin Media O2 pointed to official figures showing that almost one million people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training.

The latest rankings suggest criminals are increasingly using job offers as an entry point. Job and employment scams moved from 11th to ninth in the index, with 37% of respondents who had seen a scam or suspected scam in the previous three months saying they had encountered that type.

Messages identified on O2's network show the methods used by fraudsters. Examples included texts posing as recruiters from a recruitment platform or agency, offering flexible work, remote roles, or earnings of £100 to £300 for 60 to 90 minutes of work.

One example read: "Hello, this is Charles from [recruitment platform]. A job may fit your profile. Reply YES for details or STOP to opt out." Another said: "Simply take 60-90 minutes out of your day to work at your favourite time and place, and you can easily earn £100-£300!"

The research also found that many younger adults struggled to identify suspicious messages, even when they believed they could. More than four in 10 said they felt confident spotting fake recruitment messages, yet 73% failed to identify a scam text posing as a well-known recruitment platform and offering a job that "may fit your profile".

Almost half failed to spot a scam promising £100 to £300 for 60 to 90 minutes of work. Nearly three-quarters also missed another message claiming they had been recommended for a remote job.

Fear of missing a genuine opening appeared to play a part. Half of 18- to 24-year-olds said they worried about missing a real opportunity if they ignored an unexpected recruitment message, while 35% said they would be tempted to respond to an attractive offer even if they doubted it was genuine.

Changing patterns

The index also pointed to a wider shift in scam tactics. Suspicious calls overtook emails as the most frequently reported approach, with calls rising from 55% to 61% and emails falling from 57% to 52% between the two survey periods.

Delivery scams remained the most commonly seen category, cited by 68% of respondents who had seen a scam or suspected scam in the previous three months. Fake account suspension messages ranked second on 58%, ahead of online shopping scams on 55%.

Virgin Media O2 has blocked more than 1.4 billion scam messages to date. It also uses artificial intelligence to flag more than 80 million nuisance calls to customers each month before they answer the phone.

The company is urging mobile users to verify unexpected job offers using official company contact details found independently, rather than links or numbers included in the original message. It also advised people not to download software, click links, or send payments in response to unsolicited approaches.

Suspicious texts can be forwarded to 7726, a free reporting service available across UK mobile networks. Reports are used to investigate numbers used by fraudsters and to refine blocking systems.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: "Looking for work can be challenging, and an unexpected recruitment message can look like the break someone has been waiting for. Scammers exploit that hope, posing as familiar companies and recruiters to persuade people to respond. With recruitment scams entering our Scam Index top 10, we're revealing some of the messages fraudsters use so people know what to look out for. They don't always promise extraordinary salaries - some look like an ordinary introduction from a recruiter. We work around the clock to protect our customers and tackle fraudsters, blocking more than 1.4 billion messages to date. Before responding to an unexpected job message, check the opportunity directly with the company using contact details you've found yourself."