The 'Recruitment-to-Training' AI Job Referral Scam: Exploiting High-Salary AI Promises to Extort Training Fees and Loans

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are primarily college students, fresh graduates, and career changers, with a concentration among young people just entering the workforce. Relevant cases have been reported in cities such as Chengdu and Beijing. This demographic generally lacks job-hunting experience, has insufficient knowledge of industry hiring standards and salary levels, and possesses weak risk awareness. They are easily misled by claims like 'zero threshold,' 'hired upon interview,' and 'guaranteed employment,' and are prone to trusting 'exclusive quotas' for 'SOE (State-Owned Enterprise) referrals' or 'direct hiring by major tech firms.' Driven by employment anxiety and wishful thinking, they pay fees before securing a position. Once paid, they not only lose the 'practical training and employment service fee' of 24,800 yuan, but those unable to pay in full are often coerced into taking out 'training loans,' leading to debt before earning any income, with no recourse for refunds. (Media estimates, not independently verified).

骗局怎么运作

• Publishing enticing job postings: Posting titles such as 'AI Large Model Role,' 'Direct Hire by SOEs,' or 'Paid Training for Zero Experience' on mainstream platforms like Zhaopin, Lagou, and BOSS Zhipin, or in WeChat and QQ groups. They create fake work samples and interview videos to attract applicants. The interface design mimics legitimate corporate recruitment pages, complete with company logos and copies of legal representative ID cards to ensure 'authenticity.'
• Perfunctory interview and assessment: The interview process lacks technical assessments or project defenses, replaced by simple 'one-sentence introductions' or 'self-evaluations,' followed by a question about 'willingness to pay referral fees' to quickly decide on the next step. Interviewers use excuses like 'time is tight' or 'the position must be filled immediately' to pressure candidates into making quick decisions.
• Mandatory 'referral fees' or 'pre-employment training fees': After passing the interview, the interviewer informs the candidate of a 'referral fee of 2,000 yuan/person' or 'pre-employment training fee of 3,000 yuan/person,' promising 'professional skills training, job onboarding, and salary benefits upon payment.' If the candidate struggles to pay in cash, they are further induced to take out a 'training loan'—borrowing money via salary advances or credit card installments—claiming low interest rates, no initial payment, and immediate onboarding upon purchase.
• Fake or extremely crude training systems: After payment, candidates receive only recorded or low-quality online courses, or sometimes no content at all. There is no teacher support or student benefits, and the 'recorded' content is often irrelevant or outdated. The training is too short to build real skills, leaving candidates unskilled and ultimately losing the expected job opportunity.
• Evasive refund policies and subsequent disputes: When candidates attempt to request a refund, companies often delay the process with excuses like 'the course has already been recorded and cannot be refunded' or 'you must wait until the student graduates to discuss refunds,' eventually cutting off contact entirely. For victims who have taken out loans, this often leads to collection efforts by loan companies and damaged credit records, creating multi-faceted pressure.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 The recruiter demands non-recruitment fees such as 'pre-employment training fees,' 'referral fees,' or 'medical examination fees' at the start of the interview.
• 🚩 Verbal promises of 'guaranteed employment,' 'guaranteed offer,' or 'internal SOE quotas' without providing a formal written contract.
• 🚩 The interview lacks technical assessments, the evaluation process is simple or missing, and the discussion focuses solely on salary.
• 🚩 Presentation of installment loan information, with mentors promising 'low interest' or 'no collateral,' and the appearance of third-party financial institutions or online loan links.
• 🚩 Lack of quality supervision over training content after payment, courses being pre-recorded or irrelevant to the actual job, and no formal contract signed after training completion.

真实案例

• January 29, 2026, CCTV report: The Chengdu Public Security Bureau uncovered a case involving the fabrication of high-salary positions to extort training fees. The case has been filed for investigation, and 8 suspects, including a person surnamed Tong, have been placed under criminal detention. The gang used 'AI pre-employment training' as a pretext to collect fees and used fake training institution websites and job postings to commit fraud. (Source: https://news.cctv.com/2026/01/29/ARTI1busdEyZEradi5YODvXT260129.shtml)
• March 18, 2026, China News Service investigation into 'SOE referral' scams: Job seeker Li Ming contacted an 'SOE referral agency' via social media. The agency claimed to have 'deep cooperation' with the HR departments of several SOEs and stated that paying a 188,000 yuan 'guaranteed admission fee' would allow the candidate to skip the written exam and be hired directly. Another victim paid 100,000, 50,000, and 30,000 yuan in high deposits to different companies for positions in SOEs, public institutions, and banks. (Source: https://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2026/03-18/10588465.shtml)
• February 5, 2026, Securities Daily report: BOSS Zhipin launched a special campaign against 'Recruitment-to-Training' scams, banning 1,502 companies involved in such violations, including 'free interviews,' 'upfront fees,' and 'loans.' On March 31, 2026, a Xinhua News Agency investigation revealed that training institutions induced job seekers to pay tens of thousands of yuan in training fees. One such company, 'Juyun Gaoke,' with a registered capital of 2 million yuan and 80% ownership by Wang Wei, launched a 'pay after learning' scheme requiring installment payments of 29,800 yuan. (Source: http://www.zqrb.cn/tmt/tmthangye/2026-02-05/A1770278175085.html)

Official Stance

• Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Cyberspace Administration of China, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Security, National Financial Regulatory Administration, 2026-05-15, issued 'Risk Warnings Regarding Recruitment-to-Training and Training Loans' (Source: https://www.news.cn/politics/20260515/dd36f13ef5cc43e9a8c0c9d7e5c7c708/c.html)
• Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Cyberspace Administration of China, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, National Financial Regulatory Administration, 2026-01-14, issued 'Notice on Regulating the Publication of Online Recruitment Information' (Source: https://chinajob.mohrss.gov.cn/c/2026-01-14/480200.shtml)

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Refuse any request for upfront payment during the recruitment process; legitimate employers will not charge training fees, referral fees, or security deposits before hiring.
• ✅ Verify the true and legal identity of the recruiter through the company's official website, tax registration, and personnel systems, especially by checking the qualifications and licensing of self-operated training institutions.
• ✅ Retain all chat logs, transfer receipts, contracts/email headers, and screenshots of job postings to serve as evidence for legal accountability. If fraud is suspected, report it immediately to the public security authorities and file a complaint with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
• ✅ If you have been forced to take out a loan, explain the situation to the bank or lending institution immediately, take steps to stop collection efforts, pursue the lender's liability, and restore your credit, while also reporting the incident to financial regulatory authorities.