Overview

• The bank’s data reveal a 237% rise in advanced-fee recruitment scams since January among its Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers.
• Scammers recruit through social media platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp, posing as agencies and offering simple tasks such as liking videos or reviewing hotels.
• Elaborate schemes include fake interviews, onboarding, contracts and counterfeit websites to lend legitimacy to upfront fee demands.
• Initial payments often come from other unwitting victims, trapping some applicants as money mules and exposing them to possible criminal charges.
• More than half of reported victims are aged 18 to 34, highlighting younger job hunters’ vulnerability in the face of economic pressures and remote-work trends.