Around Christmas last year, Sarah Magno, a 27-year-old freelance digital-media editor in Jackson Township, N.J., received a text from somebody who said he was Devon McCoy, a hiring manager for the Humane Society for Tacoma-Pierce County in Washington state. It was welcome news: Ms. Magno had applied for a remote full-time position on dozens of job sites.
Sent to the cellphone number Ms. Magno had put on her résumé, Mr. McCoy’s text suggested she speak via an app with a man who is listed as a board member on the Humane Society’s website. He told her how to contact the board member, who then sent her a long list of questions, such as, “‘How do you work under pressure?” and, “If you’ve made a mistake with a client, how do you confront them?” says Ms. Magno. Over two weeks, Ms. Magno connected with other people who used what looked like legitimate Humane Society email addresses, and was eventually offered a job for $30 an hour plus benefits.
