For years, online scams were largely random. A fake invoice here, a suspicious email there. If you were unlucky, you clicked. If not, you moved on.
That era is over; like we talked about last week, 2018 was almost a decade ago and most of us are still following old advice that sounds good on paper but breaks down in practice.
Today’s attacks are no longer aimed at “anyone.” They are aimed very deliberately at someone like you, based largely on what you do for a living.
Thanks to AI, attackers no longer need to blast the same scam to thousands of people and hope for results. They can tailor messages to specific job roles, responsibilities, and authority levels. Your title is often all they need to decide how to approach you.
And most of that information is publicly available. AI powered research tools make it so it only takes 30 seconds to put your entire public life under a magnifying glass.
Why Job Roles Matter More Than Ever
Attackers think in terms of leverage. Who can move money. Who can approve access. Who can reset credentials. Who can quietly make changes without raising alarms.
That maps almost perfectly to modern job titles.
Finance teams are targeted because they move money.
HR is targeted because they manage sensitive employee data.
IT is targeted because they control access.
Executives are targeted because their authority short-circuits skepticism.
AI makes this targeting frighteningly efficient. An attacker can generate emails, texts, or even voice messages that sound exactly like how someone in your organization communicates. The tone, the urgency, the vocabulary all fit the role.
Nothing looks out of place.
LinkedIn Is the Blueprint
Most people think of LinkedIn as a professional resume or networking tool. Attackers see it as an intelligence database.
From a single profile, they can often learn:
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Your exact job title and responsibilities
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Who you report to and who reports to you
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Vendors, tools, and platforms you likely use
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Recent promotions or role changes
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Colleagues and internal naming conventions
AI fills in the gaps. It can infer workflows, approval chains, and common requests based on role alone. A finance manager gets a realistic “vendor payment issue.” An HR director gets a convincing “benefits update” or “direct deposit change.” An IT admin gets a “security alert” that sounds just technical enough to pass a quick read.
These messages are not sloppy. They are well written, context-aware, and timed to feel routine.
Why This Works So Well
Most professionals are trained to recognize obvious scams. Misspellings. Strange links. Poor grammar. Those signals are disappearing.
Modern impersonation attacks look normal because they are designed to blend into your day.
They often arrive when you are busy. They reference real projects or people. They use language you expect to see in your role. And they rely on one powerful assumption.
That people in certain roles are expected to act quickly.
Finance is expected to pay. HR is expected to update records. IT is expected to fix problems. Executives are expected to give direction.
Attackers exploit that expectation.
“Wait… That’s Me”
This is the moment most readers have when they realize why this matters.
If your role involves money, access, authority, or sensitive data, you are not just a possible target. You are a preferred one.
And the more visible your role is online, the easier it is to craft something that feels legitimate.
This is not about carelessness or lack of intelligence. It is about attackers finally understanding how work actually happens, and using AI to mimic it convincingly.
What This Means Going Forward
Security can no longer rely on individuals “spotting something suspicious.” The attacks are designed specifically not to look suspicious.
Protection now comes from:
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Clear verification processes for sensitive requests
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Out-of-band confirmation for money and access changes
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Internal rules that slow things down just enough to confirm intent
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Awareness that role-based targeting is now the norm, not the exception
The rules changed quietly. Most people were never told.
If your job title gives you responsibility, it also gives attackers a script. Recognizing that reality is the first step in staying ahead of it. Let’s stay safe out there!
