Cybersecurity Research

Beware the '$300 Consultation': How Fake Job Offers Are Used to Steal Corporate Secrets

Cisco Talos · 25 Sept 2026

Key Takeaway Train staff to treat unsolicited job or consulting offers on social media with suspicion, especially those requesting internal information or unusual payments for simple tasks.

Cybersecurity professionals are being targeted by a social engineering scam disguised as a lucrative consulting opportunity, according to a new Cisco Talos newsletter. The scheme typically starts with an unsolicited social media message from a sparse, suspicious profile offering a tempting fee, such as $300, for a short phone consultation on a topic like digital transformation.

The initial call is not the real goal. It acts as a screening step to determine whether the target has valuable access or knowledge. Victims who pass are then asked to produce a written report, gradually flattered and pushed to provide 'special' insights not available publicly. To deliver, they may end up probing internal systems or contacting colleagues, effectively abusing trusted professional relationships to satisfy the request.

Talos notes this is one of several similar tactics, including fake recruiters offering high paying jobs that require installing trojanised software as part of the application process. In both cases, attackers exploit trust and flattery rather than technical hacking to extract sensitive information.

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