Recruitment scam?

[MancTom]

Hi,

I know a person, lets call them X, who has been contacted by a recruiter who has requested:

- X should disable their linkedin profile so that no-one can see it.

- Whilst disabled, the recruiter will get X a job at an engineering company in a speciality they have zero experience of (but do have several years experience in a different engineering speciality)

- Once X gets the job the recruiter says X can re-enable the profile and the recruiter will provide 1 months training for the new job.

We (my wife and I) are convinced this is some kind of scam (though can't quite spot who is gaining) because what kind of company hires someone they don't even interview?

Its always possible we are wrong and this is a real thing that happens out there for job hunting we have never seen. Anyone know?

Have googled extensively for this and can't find it listed in any news articles about comment recruitment scams. But it the whole thing just looks really odd to us. 

X is convinced its all legitimate and a good idea to go for, after having no luck at getting job in their speciality area (part of the issue is last employer won't give a reference. X had a mental health breakdown as a result of the fear of the pandemic + isolation in lockdown, which resulted in poor performance at work and ultimately hospitalisation, after which X was heavily pressured to resign). Any kind of news article about this scam would be useful to show X to try and convince this recruiter is up to no good (unless someone knows this is a real thing that companies do for recruitment, though sounds unlikely to me!).

Thanks!

 

[Will!]

The recruiter may need X to make up the numbers for a shortlist in order to make the recruiter look better to their client (the engineering company).  X has no chance of getting the job.

[Mikhail Liebenstein]

On 29/07/2021 at 21:16, Will! said:

The recruiter may need X to make up the numbers for a shortlist in order to make the recruiter look better to their client (the engineering company).  X has no chance of getting the job.

Or the recruiter wants to fake their CV and experience, get them the job, then cut and run with a partially paid fee? 

I have seen in some sectors people being asked to turn off part of their profile if joining a startup that hasn't fully launched. But that is when they are in the job, not before.

 

[reddog]

Sounds bizarre, never heard of anything like that, so I would be naturally suspicious.