Job Seekers – Beware spam viruses

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Job seekers across the world who utilize any online services for posting resumes and contact information are at great risk for being targets of computer viruses delivered via email.

When a person is aggressively looking for work, any email that comes in which has the appearance of a job opportunity and/or interest from a potential employer or recruiter, is usually opened immediately with great anticipation.

Files titled as Job descriptions, Job application instructions or Link to our Human Resources department, either linked or attached to the email, can easily contain malicious viruses that could quickly put you out of the job search business by putting your computer out of service.

Scammers and spammers who have malicious intent are very good at preying on job hunters and they writing engaging emails that push you to open attached files right away. I’ve found however, that, these emails usually include some tell-tale signs that show they are not legitimate and are fairly easy to spot.

Start with, who is the email from? Most companies use an email address that uses the company name or some form of a real company name. Emailers who use @gmail, yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, generally indicate it might be a fake, or, at least not from a legitimate company representative.

Who is the person sending the email? Does the sender’s name match the name in the email address? If the email is signed by Joe but the “from” email address is katy123@AOL, you might be looking at a fake email.

Does the sender use a professional format for the email or does it seem very generic? If the subject line says something like, “you’d be a perfect fit for this job,” but the email asks you to send a resume, it means they haven’t seen your resume, they have no idea if you are qualified at all, and this is likely a spam email which might contain a virus.

Misspelled words and grammatical errors are common mistakes made by these spammers since many cyber criminals are located outside of the U.S.

With your personal information out on the Web, you are at extra risk, so use extra precaution when opening email and opening files contained in them.

Below is an actual sample of a real spam email. Notice the spelling and grammatical errors -signs of a fake email. But, if you read it quickly and click on the link, you could miss these mistakes and open a virus.

Good day, Michael Schiano.


We came across your resume on one of the job search resources. As if right now, we have a few open positions to offer. If you have an interest, we have provided all the detailed information needed with the file attached.


Should you be interested this position, please reply to the our HR. 

Best Regards!


Be safe…do good work!