Job scams are getting scary good. We're talking AI deepfakes, fake recruiters, and cryptocurrency traps that are fooling even tech-savvy professionals. In this Security Cocktail Hour holiday special, Joe and Adam break down four of the most dangerous job scams hitting people right now—because nothing says "Happy Holidays" quite like protecting yourself from scammers, right?

If you're job hunting (or know someone who is), grab a drink and settle in. We're covering everything from deepfake video interviews to the bizarre world of "lucky order" scams that'll drain your crypto wallet faster than you can say "I got the job!"

What You'll Learn:

✅ How scammers use real-time deepfake technology to impersonate legitimate recruiters

✅ The malware delivery tactics hidden in "competency tests" and coding exercises

✅ How to spot fake job postings before sharing personal information

✅ The "lucky order" scam that tricks workers into depleting their own accounts

00:00 Intro: Job Scams for the Holidays

01:08 AI Enhanced Interview Fraud

11:26 Packaging and Processing Scams

17:23 Mystery Shopper Scam

24:30 Gamify/Task Scams

28:48 Help Spread Awareness

29:40 Wrapup and Happy Holidays

30:58 Bonus Bloopers!

Key Takeaways:

🚩 Red Flag #1: Any job asking for money upfront (deposits, equipment fees, background check fees)

🚩 Red Flag #2: Payment exclusively in cryptocurrency for employment

🚩 Red Flag #3: Requests for excessive personal information before an interview

🚩 Red Flag #4: Downloading special software for interviews or tests

🚩 Red Flag #5: "Too good to be true" easy money for simple tasks

Protect Yourself:

✓ Always verify recruiters through official company websites (not LinkedIn alone)

✓ Never give MFA/2FA codes to anyone—even for "deposits"

✓ Be wary of video interviews that seem glitchy (could be deepfakes)

✓ Research the company independently before sharing personal data

✓ Use multi-factor authentication on all financial accounts

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Share This Episode: Know someone job hunting? Share this video to help protect them from these evolving scams.

Scammers stay busy during the holidays. From recognizing fake gift card requests to safe phone payments for teens, we're bringing back the best cyber security tips from last year's holiday episode, as a warmup for a new episode focusing on the latest AI threats coming next week.

Whether you’re buying gifts, traveling, or just enjoying the holidays with family, these practical tips will help you protect yourself and your loved ones.

👉 Help us fight back against the scammers:

• Share this episode with friends and family to keep them safe too!
• Leave a comment with your experiences or questions about scams.

Stay safe, stay smart, and have a happy holiday season! 🎁

In this episode of the Security Cocktail Hour, guest Jatin Mannepalli introduces co-hosts Joe Patti and Adam Roth the high-speed, high stakes world of high frequency trading (HFT) and its many security challenges. The conversation delves into the intricacies of high frequency trading, the stress of incident response, and the importance of redundancy in connectivity. They discuss the evolution of data transmission methods, the challenges of security in trading environments, and the role of custom hardware. The episode also touches on the current job market in cyber security and the necessity of collaboration among firms to enhance security measures.

Have you worked in cyber security for trading environments, or HFT's? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speaker, Jatin Mannepalli, and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of IMC Trading or its affiliates.