Recruiter... or Resume Sales Pitch? You Decide.
Ever receive a message on LinkedIn that looks like the start of a great career opportunity, only for the conversation to take an unexpected turn?
I recently had an interaction that left me scratching my head. It started like a normal recruiter conversation but quickly shifted into something that felt very different.
Was it a legitimate recruiting discussion, clever marketing, or something in between?
I'll let you decide.
Watch the full video and see the entire conversation for yourself at https://NielFlamm.com/videos/scams.
While you're there, check out the rest of my Internet Garbage—you never know what strange story, movie review, or life experience I'll post next.
I Sent The Email... Then Noticed Something
I replied to what appeared to be a legitimate recruiter email.
At first, everything looked normal.
Then I noticed something.
That observation sent me down a rabbit hole that became much bigger than I expected.
Watch the video and see what happened next.
Catch up on the full story:
The Scammer Actually Replied
I thought the story was over after I sent a scammer a fake resume and cover letter.
I was wrong.
Not only did they reply, they reviewed my completely fictional credentials, offered improvement suggestions, and even proposed professional resume services.
You can watch the teaser here, but the full story — including the fake resume, fake cover letter, and the responses I received — is on my website.
Go to NielFlamm.com → Videos → Scam
Or visit:
Ang recruiter email na parang may mali
Noong Linggo ng gabi, nakatanggap ako ng recruiter email tungkol sa isang Learning & Development opportunity.
Propesyonal.
Personalized.
May LinkedIn profile pa.
At oo… sumagot ako.
Pero may kakaibang pakiramdam.
Ang mga sumunod kong natuklasan ay nagbigay ng seryosong tanong tungkol sa recruiter scams, resume harvesting, at personal information mining na tumatarget sa mga naghahanap ng trabaho.
At Scott Leonardis — salamat sa pagiging mabait at propesyonal sa buong usapan.
Panoorin muna ang teaser video na ito… pagkatapos pumunta sa page para makita kung paano nangyari ang lahat at kung ano ang natutunan ko:
The recruiter's email that almost fooled me
Late Sunday night. A LinkedIn message about a Learning & Development role.
Professional tone. Personalized details. A real-looking profile attached.
I responded.
Then something felt off — and the more I looked, the worse it got.
What I found raises serious questions about how job seekers are being targeted: resume harvesting, personal data mining, and scam infrastructure that's hard to spot even when you're paying attention.
I documented the whole thing — the red flags I missed, the ones I caught, and what it means if you're actively job searching right now.
(And Scott Leonardis — genuinely, thank you for being courteous throughout. That's what made this so disarming.)
Full breakdown + teaser video:
👉 NielFlamm.com/videos/scam
If you're job searching, send this to someone who needs to see it.
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