As AI voice and video generation got cheap, scammers added a human face and voice to old cons. In a vishing (voice phishing) scam, a caller impersonating a recruiter pressures you into sharing information or payment over the phone. In a deepfake interview, the "hiring manager" on your video call is partly or wholly synthetic — enough to make a fake job feel like a real conversation before the money or data ask lands.
The realism is the danger: seeing a face and hearing a voice short-circuits the skepticism we'd apply to a text message. But the underlying scam is unchanged — it still ends in a fee, a data grab, or a check.
Tells of a deepfake interview
Current deepfakes still struggle with certain motions and interactions. Watch for these, and don't be shy about testing them.
- Unnatural blinking, lip-sync that drifts, or a face that warps when a hand passes over it
- Reluctance to turn their head in profile or perform a spontaneous action on request
- Audio-video lag, robotic prosody, or a voice that doesn't match natural breathing
- Refusal to switch to a quick, unscripted phone or in-person conversation
The vishing pressure play
On the phone, scammers create urgency: your "start date depends on" confirming your SSN now, paying an activation fee, or reading back a code sent to your phone (a 2FA-theft trick). A real recruiter will never need a one-time passcode from you, and won't collect your SSN or payment over an unsolicited call.
How to verify a real recruiter
Independently confirm the recruiter exists: find them on the company's official site or LinkedIn and contact them through a channel you looked up yourself. Ask to move part of the process to a normal phone call or on-site meeting. Legitimate recruiters welcome verification; scammers resist it.
Red flags to remember
- Video-call glitches: warping face, bad lip-sync, unnatural blinking
- Refusal to perform a simple live action or switch to a phone/in-person chat
- A caller asking for your SSN, payment, or a one-time passcode
- High-pressure urgency tied to your "start date"
- A recruiter you can't independently verify on the company's official channels
What to do if you're targeted
- 1Never share one-time passcodes, SSN, or payment on an unsolicited call.
- 2Ask to verify via the company's official site and a self-sourced contact.
- 3Request an unscripted live action or phone call to test a suspected deepfake.
- 4Report to the FTC and IC3, and alert the impersonated company.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test whether a video interviewer is a deepfake?
Ask them to turn their head fully in profile, wave a hand in front of their face, or perform a spontaneous action. Deepfakes often warp or lag. Also request a quick, unscripted phone call — scammers tend to refuse.
A recruiter asked me to read back a code from a text. Why?
That's an attempt to steal a two-factor authentication code and take over one of your accounts. Never read back or share verification codes with anyone, recruiter or not.