Never-Before-Told-Story About The Mind of a Scammer

Disclaimer: This narrative is based on a true incident involving a scam in Malaysia. To protect the privacy and identity of the individuals involved, all names and identifying details have been changed.

It was typical weekday morning. Johan was greeted by the sunlight shining through his curtains. He rolled out of bed and went through his morning routine—brushing his teeth, freshening up, and brewing a cup of coffee. As one of the privileged few who could work from home, he settled into his chair and booted up his laptop, gearing up for a full day of scamming unsuspecting job seekers.

You see, Johan is no stranger to conning as he is a scammer that specialises in job fraud, mainly targeting job seekers in Malaysia. His goal is simple: take advantage of people’s need for a job by setting up fake job recruitment scams. Let’s dive deep into what goes on in the mind of a scam specialist.

His tactics were as follows:

Bait: Firstly, Johan posted a job ad for a highly sought-after position on job hiring platforms such as Jobstreet and LinkedIn. The job ad was complete with a detailed description, an appealing salary, and a reputable-sounding company name. To make it sound legit, he used industry lingo and listed responsibilities and qualifications that seemed plausible. By using a real company's name and tweaking the contact details to funnel inquiries to his fake email accounts, he made it tough for job seekers to see anything off. To top it off, he set up a fake HR email and a video conferencing platform for interviews. Now, all Johan had to do was sit back and wait.

Reel: *Ding ding* Music to Johan’s ears. It was showtime. He received a notification that someone had applied for the job: a fresh graduate named Ahmad. After a few text exchanges, they scheduled an online interview for later in the day. Right before the interview, Johan swapped into professional attire and prepped with a scripted set of questions. He put on a solid performance, sounding authoritative and knowledgeable to build trust with Ahmad. To make it all even more convincing, Johan did his homework on Ahmad’s background, allowing him to reference his qualifications and experiences during the call.

After the interview, Johan used a psychological tactic. He created a sense of urgency and excitement by telling Ahmad he got the job! In order to keep things moving, Johan asked for Ahmad’s personal details, like his IC, to do a background check.

Reap: Before the interview came to a close, Johan told Ahmad that he needed a “security deposit” for administrative costs. He told Ahmad to transfer RM1,000 to cover funds for setting up job accounts, processing documents, and onboarding procedures.

Once the payment went through, all that’s left to do for Johan is to disappear before Ahmad caught on to the scam. He used a bank account registered under a different name to collect the funds and set up a temporary email and phone number that would be deactivated after the scam. To keep things under the radar, he also frequently changed account details and quickly withdrew the money.

By the time Ahmad had realised that he’d been scammed and filed a report for it, it was already too late—Johan had already moved on and left no traces behind. He took down the job ad from Jobstreet and tapped into a network of similar scams to keep his operation going. By using different aliases and untraceable methods, Johan made it tough for the authorities to track him down.

What you need to know about job scams

Job scams are deceptive schemes where scammers post fake job ads just like real employers do—online (through ads, job sites, and social media), in newspapers, and even on TV. The scammers often make enticing promises about the job, claiming it’s a great opportunity with high pay and flexible hours. But in reality, their goal is to get your money or personal information. They might ask for payment for training, supplies, or background checks, or try to trick you into sharing sensitive details.

Tell-tale signs of fake job postings

• Money red flags: If you’re asked to transfer money for things like a medical check, work pass, or even just to attend a job interview.
• No online presence: The company doesn’t have a website or any official social media accounts.
• Too good to be true: If the job sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Vague job description: The job description is either unclear or way too short.
• Poor language skills: If there are a lot of typos and bad grammar in the job ad or messages.
• Random job postings: You found the job posting in some random social media group.
• Limited communication: They only want to chat through social media or messaging apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, or WeChat.
• Personal info requests: They ask for your personal info, like your mobile number or IC, over messaging apps.

No one is safe nowadays. Always be vigilant and aware about the dangers of cyber scams.

If you suspect you've been scammed, immediately call Maybank’s 24/7 Fraud Hotline at 03-5891 4744 or the National Scam Response Centre at 997 (8am-8pm daily).

Be sure to stay updated with the latest information on security awareness and you’ll do just fine!

💡 The information provided above is purely for educational purposes.