Fake Job Interview Emails Are Stealing Google Account Passwords

A new email scam is targeting people by pretending to offer job interviews with well-known companies. The scammers are impersonating more than 30 major brands including Adobe, Netflix, Coca-Cola, and OpenAI. These fake job interview emails are designed to steal your Google account username and password.

The campaign is particularly targeting marketing professionals, but anyone could receive these emails. If you work in marketing or have a public professional profile online, you are more likely to receive these fake interview invitations. However, anyone with a Google account could be targeted.

When you click the link in these emails, you are taken to a fake login page that looks like the real Google sign-in screen. If you enter your username and password, the scammers immediately capture that information and can access your entire Google account, including your email, documents, photos, and any other services linked to that account. If you receive an unexpected job interview invitation, do not click any links in the email.

1. Go directly to the company's official website by typing the address into your browser yourself.
2. Look for their careers or jobs section to see if the position is real.
3. If you are genuinely interested, apply through the official website only.
4. Never enter your Google password on a page you reached by clicking an email link.
5. If you already clicked a link and entered your password, change your Google password immediately by going directly to google.com.
6. Enable two-factor authentication on your Google account right away, which adds an extra security step even if someone has your password. Remember that legitimate companies will never ask you to log in to your personal email account as part of a job interview process. Real recruiters will contact you through professional networking sites like LinkedIn or will invite you to apply through the company's official career portal. Make it a habit to never click links in unexpected emails, even if they look professional. When in doubt, contact the company directly using contact information you find on their official website, not information provided in the suspicious email.