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A Chicago-area job seeker has spent the past two years tracking fraudulent job listings and recruiter profiles across the internet, claiming he has helped remove nearly 60,000 fake postings, most of them from LinkedIn.

Jay Jones, who calls himself “The Profiler,” began investigating employment scams after losing his advertising job in late 2023. Since then, he says he has also reported roughly 7,000 profiles that he believes were connected to fraudulent recruitment operations. The growing sophistication of these scams has made it increasingly difficult for job seekers to distinguish legitimate opportunities from traps. .

The fraud goes well beyond newly created fake accounts. Scammers can build groups of recruiter profiles using copied photographs and similar information, while others hijack dormant LinkedIn accounts that have already been verified. In some cases, fraudulent job advertisements are even posted through legitimate company pages, directing applicants to unrelated websites or email addresses.

Artificial intelligence is adding another layer to the problem. Jones says scammers can use AI to tailor messages to a person’s résumé and career history, making fraudulent recruitment pitches appear more convincing. Some schemes offer applicants paid résumé assistance, while others attempt to collect sensitive information such as driver’s license details or Social Security numbers.

Jones recently identified multiple LinkedIn profiles using the name Linda Anthony. The accounts shared the same photograph, similar employment histories and recent creation dates. After Jones publicized the profiles, their links reportedly went offline.

“You turn the lights on,” Jones told The Wall Street Journal, “and the roaches run.”

The scams are emerging as many Americans continue to face a difficult job market. In August, 27% of unemployed Americans had been searching for work for more than six months, approaching levels seen during some of the longest periods of elevated unemployment outside the pandemic.

LinkedIn says its automated systems blocked nearly 90 million fake accounts before they became visible to users during the second half of 2025. The company has also introduced additional safety measures and worked with the FBI to educate users about employment scams.

However, verified profiles can still be exploited. Jones has found hijacked accounts connected to legitimate recruiting companies, allowing scammers to combine a verification badge with a real corporate affiliation. LinkedIn said verification does not guarantee that an account or job listing is legitimate.

LinkedIn plans to introduce a feature allowing verified employers to immediately remove users from their company affiliations. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor and Capital One have confirmed that they work with LinkedIn to remove fraudulent listings found on their pages.

Jones continues the investigation alongside driving for Uber, training cybersecurity professionals and searching for permanent employment. He says he often works with around 50 browser tabs open while tracking potential scams, with his browser sometimes crashing several times a week.