I almost fell for an AI job scam because the usual red flags weren't there. Here's how I caught it.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Harnack Daniel Harnack nearly fell for a personalized AI job scam that used stolen LinkedIn information.

He said AI tools are enabling scammers to create highly tailored and convincing fake job offers.

Harnack advises other job seekers to be wary of scams and avoid sharing financial information.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Daniel Harnack, a data analytics professional.

It has been edited for length and clarity.

About a month ago, I was almost tricked into falling for an elaborate AI scam .

A scammer stole a recruiter's LinkedIn picture, linked to her profile, and created a fake email address for her so they could send me a job listing created with the help of AI.

The role was perfectly tailored to my experience, and it sounded like a dream job .

Also, the pay was double the reasonable salary for that kind of role.

All the person needed was my résumé to submit to the hiring manager.

When, instead of taking my résumé and suggesting I apply for the role on their career site, they suggested I meet with a "career consultant" to suggest changes to my résumé, that sealed the deal in my mind that this was definitely going to be a scam where they asked for payment.

This is just a reminder to everyone that AI is making these very individualized scams much easier to pull off.

The usual red flags weren't there This was such a surprising scam because of how personalized, tailored, and realistic it was.

The red flags that I'm used to — vague promises, fake names, fake companies, and fake-sounding job titles — had all been addressed or covered up.