Recruiting Scam from corco.headhunting.recruiting.inc@gmail.com

On February 24, 2026   /   Q&A   /   11 Comments

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS SCAM?

Did you receive a scam recruiting e-mail from:

corco.headhunting.recruiting.inc@gmail.com that’s signed:

Best regards,
   Nick CORCODILOS 
Executive Independent | Job Search Placement Specialist | Executive Board Level Talent
* * * * * *
About: I help hiring leaders secure high impact talent while minimizing time to hire and long term risk. Your Go To Executive Headhunter.
LINKEDIN PROFILE

A recruiting scam

Ask The Headhunter readers have been getting very detailed “confidential” solicitations — and asking me if they are really from me.

Of course not!

These scammers are using my name illegally. The link to the LINKEDIN PROFILE beneath my name goes to my actual profile, further suggesting I’m behind the solicitations.

If you received these e-mails in your Gmail, you will see a copy of my avatar beside the “from” field:

 

 

 

This is a fraudulent, illegal impersonation. They stole the avatar and created a fake e-mail address that starts with the first five letters of my last name.

How the scam looks

Victims have been sending me the e-mail threads, which include detailed information scraped from their own LinkedIn profiles. I suspect the e-mails are AI-generated, made to seem tailored to each victim, referring to the victim’s current job title and skills, and pitching a “relevant” executive-level job opportunity.

The scammers engage the victim in a back-and-forth via e-mail using common social engineering tricks. They plant enough details in each e-mail to make the victim ask questions and to make them engage in discussion. Social psychology refers to this “foot-in-the–door” sales tactic as a compliance, or persuasion, strategy. If the scammer can gradually get in the victim’s door, the victim is likely to rationalize away any hesitation to disclose more information. “I let them in this far – might as well see where this goes.”

That’s a big mistake.

Are they after you or your employer?

I showed this recruiting fraud to a data scientist at a leading cybersecurity firm.

“It looks like a spear phishing scheme designed to harvest information from high-level executives, likely as a pivot point to target their current employers. The scammer gets little bits of personal information through casual, friendly sounding questions. Then leads the victim into revealing more facts about themselves that appear innocuous. It’s not hard to build a profile of the victim and use it to compromise their digital identity. The ultimate target is often the victim’s employer and the goal is to access internal corporate systems for real exploitation.”

They’re also after your money.

The scam recruiting e-mail

Below is the full text of the e-mail one victim received from “Nick Corcodilos,” and the ensuing back-and-forth. I redacted any information that could identify the person. E-mails received by other victims are similar. Automation is clearly involved in producing these. Sort of customized boilerplate.

(My name appears again and again in the From field. Don’t be lulled into any idea that what you’re reading is from me! Note the e-mail address.)

From: Nick Corcodilos <corco.headhunting.recruiting.inc@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 16, 2026 at 6:01 AM
To: [REDACTED]

Hi [REDACTED],

I’ve been reviewing senior [REDACTED] Policy directors with hands-on experience in [REDACTED] reform, particularly those who have led cross-government frameworks.

Your leadership in your current role at [REDACTED] Corporation and your work around analyzing [REDACTED] and engaging stakeholders reflects the level of strategic oversight institutions are increasingly seeking as 2026 frameworks continue to evolve.

I work independently with a small number of director-level global [REDACTED] leaders when they are open to discreetly exploring strategic mandates aligned with their background, particularly where policy formation and implementation governance intersect.

I’m reaching out simply to understand whether you would be open to a confidential conversation should a closely aligned leadership opportunity emerge.

I look forward to hearing from you if this aligns with your current priorities.

Best regards,
   Nick CORCODILOS 
Executive Independent | Job Search Placement Specialist | Executive Board Level Talent
* * * * * *
About: I help hiring leaders secure high impact talent while minimizing time to hire and long term risk. Your Go To Executive Headhunter.
LINKEDIN PROFILE

Notes

My boldfaced “signature” in fuschia with all caps for my last name at the end should stop you in your tracks. If that doesn’t signal quackery, please take a breath and read the e-mail again!

But people do respond. They get sucked in. They pay up or, worse, try to impress the scammer with how important they are by revealing information about their employer.

I find that the higher the executive title and the higher the salary of the target victim, the more likely they are to fall victim.

Judging from certain telltale vocabulary, the scammers are likely overseas. They use five-dollar words and silly expressions only someone with poor knowledge of English and little business savvy would use. Here are some tip-offs:

• “Confidential Leadership Alignment”
• “discreetly exploring strategic mandates aligned with their background”
• “I’m reaching out simply to understand”
• “a closely aligned leadership opportunity”
• “I approach each mandate with careful alignment in mind”

All that “alignment” reveals an uneducated scammer trying to impress and stroke a corporate manager who might never bother to check whether this is even real.

***

[E-MAIL OMITTED: VICTIM REPLIES, EXPRESSES INTEREST, SUBMITS RESUME, AND “NICK” WRITES BACK]

***

From: Nick Corcodilos <corco.headhunting.recruiting.inc@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 17, 2026 at 1:39?PM
To: [REDACTED]

Hi [REDACTED],

I’ve now received initial feedback from the hiring side and wanted to share it with you directly.

HIRING MANAGER FEEDBACK

Thank you for forwarding [REDACTED]’s profile for review.

I’ve completed both an initial screening and a detailed evaluation of her background in relation to the Director, [REDACTED] Policy mandate. Overall, her profile demonstrates strong alignment with the strategic, regulatory, and cross-functional leadership expectations of this role.

Based on the review, the following strengths stood out as particularly relevant:

1. Deep [REDACTED] Regulatory Expertise
Her current leadership in monitoring and synthesizing [REDACTED] regulatory activity impacting [REDACTED] particularly the Star Ratings program, Advance Notice, and Final Rule cycles reflects direct subject matter alignment with the core focus of this position.

2. Strategic Policy Translation for Executive Leadership
Her ability to translate complex regulatory developments into executive level decks, policy briefs, trackers, and strategic communications demonstrates the level of analytical maturity and clarity required at the Director level.

3. Enterprise Wide Stakeholder Leadership
Leading cross-functional engagement across 180+ stakeholders to align positions for comment letters reflects strong internal influence, coordination, and policy alignment critical for External Affairs strategy.

4. Advocacy & Policy Positioning Experience
Her recent promotion to Lead Quality Program Strategist Regulatory, including work developing advocacy materials presented to [REDACTED] and maintaining a [REDACTED] advocacy portfolio, signals readiness to operate in a more externally facing policy leadership capacity.

5. Project Management & Regulatory Cycle Oversight
Her leadership of the [REDACTED] Plan Preview cycle and structured management of regulatory timelines demonstrates operational rigor and ownership across high-stakes policy processes.

6. Executive Communication & Written Policy Strength
Her portfolio of policy briefs, regulatory summaries, and strategic analyses reflects strong written communication skills and the ability to synthesize complex legislative developments into actionable insights.

Overall, her experience reflects a strong progression from policy analysis into strategic policy leadership, consistent with the scope of a Director-level mandate.

That said, before moving her profile into final review, the following documents will be required to complete the submission package:

• • Executive Bio
  • SWOT Assessment Letter

While her resume demonstrates strong alignment, these documents are important at this level to further assess leadership philosophy, strategic positioning, and her perspective on [REDACTED] policy evolution within a broader enterprise context.

At this stage, we’re unable to move into final evaluation without receipt of both documents. Once provided, her candidacy will be fully positioned for senior-level consideration.

[END “HIRING MANAGER FEEDBACK”. SCAMMER ADDRESSES VICTIM IN NEXT PART OF SAME E-MAIL]

[REDACTED],

As you can see from the feedback above, your background has been very well received and you are in a strong position at this stage.

To move this forward efficiently, the next step will be preparation and submission of the Executive Bio and SWOT Assessment Letter. Once those are finalized, I can formally advance your candidacy and continue direct engagement at the senior decision-making level.

Timing is important, as the review process is active. I would recommend sharing these documents as soon as possible so we can maintain momentum. If you would like guidance on structuring either document to align with hiring leadership expectations, I am happy to support you.

I look forward to your update and to receiving the materials so we can proceed accordingly.

Best regards,
   Nick CORCODILOS 
Executive Independent | Job Search Placement Specialist | Executive Board Level Talent
* * * * * *
About: I help hiring leaders secure high impact talent while minimizing time to hire and long term risk. Your Go To Executive Headhunter.
LINKEDIN PROFILE

Note

The numbered-list “analysis” of the resume against the “requirements” of the “role” clearly reveals another tip-off to the fraud. This a classic AI formatting trope in query results: boldfaced, numbered, bulleted or numbered short paragraphs. You can just see an AI bot spitting out that six-point list in the “HIRING MANAGER’s internal e-mail”! This has high-volume, automated AI-driven snake-oil sales pitch written all over it.

***

[E-MAILS OMITTED: VICTIM ASKS FOR HELP WITH REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. SCAMMER OFFERS TO REFER VICTIM TO SPECIALIST THAT CAN CREATE THEM. VICTIM REQUESTS REFERRAL.]

***

From: Nick Corcodilos <corco.headhunting.recruiting.inc@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 17, 2026 at 6:17?PM
To: [REDACTED]

Hi [REDACTED],

Thank you for your prompt response, I truly appreciate it and value your decisiveness as we move forward.

As discussed, below are the details of the executive document specialist I work with closely. She has extensive experience positioning senior leaders and understands precisely how Executive Bios and SWOT assessments are evaluated at hiring leadership level.

Executive branding Specialist

Name: Ava Archibald
Email: Avaarchibald.executivecareers@gmail.com

Please feel free to reach out to her directly and let her know you were referred by me. That will provide immediate context and allow her to align the documents strategically with the expectations of this mandate.

Given the active nature of the process, kindly inform her that the completed documents are needed within the next 24 hours so we can maintain momentum with the hiring team.

Once you’ve connected with her, Kindly keep me informed so I can track progress on my end. As soon as the documents are finalized, we will be in a strong position to advance your candidacy without delay.

I appreciate your engagement and professionalism throughout this process and look forward to next steps.

Best regards,
   Nick CORCODILOS 
Executive Independent | Job Search Placement Specialist | Executive Board Level Talent
* * * * * *
About: I help hiring leaders secure high impact talent while minimizing time to hire and long term risk. Your Go To Executive Headhunter.
LINKEDIN PROFILE

Note

There’s no indication there’s a real “Ava” waiting to write your Exec Bio; not any more than there’s a real “corc”! I expect there may be a real Ava who’s being impersonated just like I am.

The payload

The intended victim didn’t take the bait and contact “Ava,” who undoubtedly would have quoted several thousand dollars to concoct an “Executive Bio and SWOT assessment” so the victim could “move into final evaluation” so her candidacy could “proceed.”

This is the payload in this painfully long set-up.

After paying the fee up front, the victim would never again hear from Ava or “Nick CORCODILOS” and would be forced to find a real e-mail address to track me down to get her money back. This Executive Bio and SWOT assessment “consultation” is the new iteration of the “resume repair” scam.

What to do about this scam

A final tip-off: If you read Ask The Headhunter you know I never use the site to recruit. I never use a Gmail address, nor does anyone else that has a legit website and domain name. I have never referred to myself as “corc”! I’d never dress up my name in fuschia! And I never promote my LinkedIn page! I have an entire website — why would I send traffic to LinkedIn?

Consider notifying the FBI via its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Scammers get busted when crowdsourced evidence reaches critical mass. We’ve done it before on this website.

If you’ve been targeted, please forward to me any such e-mails you’ve received and let me know if you’ve filed a complaint with law enforcement. I’m doing my own investigation and I’ll report back on what I learn. These crooks can’t stand the bright light of public scrutiny, having their methods exposed publicly, or their victims sharing information on a public forum like this.

Please share the details of this scam with your friends and coworkers. You’d be surprised how many people succumb to scams like this. More than one career scam crowdsourced and exposed on this website has led to federal charges.

Have you been scammed by such hucksters? Did it cost you much? Did you get your money back? Got any ideas how I can stop them from using my name and LinkedIn profile to rip people off?

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