DES MOINES, Iowa — Attorney General Brenna Bird is warning Iowans to look out for scammers posing as potential employers. 

These scams are coming through as texts and emails offering unsolicited job offers, maybe a work-from-home or a low-effort job. 

The scammers are getting more and more creative, and AI is making it more difficult to decipher legitimacy. The scammers may use fake profiles and images, making people think they’re dealing with real potential employers.

“Well, AI can be part of these scams, but oftentimes it’s also just sophisticated con artists,” Attorney General Bird said. “We think they are targeting people who are in college or recent graduates, young people that are worried about getting a job or needing some extra income.”

These scam emails will come from unofficial accounts like Gmail or Yahoo email accounts. 

“They’ll use any tool they have to try to rip people off, which is absolutely wrong. And we want to do everything we can to stop it,” Bird said. “The sad truth, though, is many people are ripped off and they might be embarrassed and wouldn’t call, but I would just say, please call. We will help, especially with bank account information or personal information. There are some things we can do to help you protect yourself if you’ve been ripped off.”

Scammers may also ask for personal information like your driver’s license, Social Security or bank account before you even interview or talk about job duties.

“To me, it’s really tragic what is happening here because many people are looking for some extra income or a second job. The scammers know this and they are trying to take advantage of that by offering something that sounds a little too good to be true,” Bird said. “So sometimes they will send an innocent Iowan a check for money and have that Iowan deposit it in their bank account. Which you would think should be fine, but it is not. Then they’ll ask the Iowan to refund part of the money. But fast forward a few days later, and all the money is gone out of that person’s account. Just be on the lookout for that. It can happen to anyone. So people need to be very aware and think before you respond.”

For more information, or to file a complaint, visit IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov.