I received this email today (see the end of this posting for a full description of the email for the visually impaired):
So, let’s dive into all the ways we know this is a scam.
→ The text of this email was obviously written by generative AI. I’m not going to get into a play-by-play analysis of what makes that obvious. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about obscenity: “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.”
→ There is, however, one obvious sign that the sender of this email did not write it, and that’s the “{Your Name}” at the bottom. This is a clear sign that either the email was automatically generated by an AI agent which screwed up, or the email text came from a template written by someone else and whoever actually sent the email forgot to replace the placeholder text at the end when pasting the text into the email to me. D’oh!
→ While I wouldn’t say that legitimate businesses like what this one claims to be never use bizarre email addresses like “michael.executivesearch.advisory@gmail.com”, it’s certainly a red flag. Given how ridiculously easy it is nowadays to set up a custom email domain, it’s unprofessional and therefore suspicious not to.
→ You can’t tell from the screenshot above, but the entire signature block is a single image rather than formatted text. You can’t click on the email address, or the map pin, or the LinkedIn button, or the “Save contact” button.
→ The signature image has alt text—not a link!—which says “View my contact details here: https://blinq.me/jPAMdUBvJRk6”. Most people are never going to see that text, and even for those who do it’s not clickable. This is more sloppiness on the part of the grifter who created this message.
→ “blinq.me” is “The AI contacts app for people who meet people”. Oh, look, more AI! If you visit the link from the alt text it is indeed a digital contact card for “Michael Nussbaum”, which includes a link to a LinkedIn profile for someone with that name.
→ There is nothing about executive search or strategic advisory services in that LinkedIn profile. The Michael Nussbaum in that profile works for Chevron and has never done recruiting.
Despite all these red flags, there’s still a small chance that the real Michael Nussbaum actually sent this message and that he really does the offer in the email is legitimate. But because of all these red flags, there’s no way in hell this is someone I would ever want to work with. He’s either a grifter or wholly incompetent.
Full textual description of the email screenshot above:
Screenshot of email from “Michael Nussbaum <michael.executivesearch.advisory@gmail.com>”. It is sent to two different email addresses for me (the email addresses themselves are blurred for privacy reasons but you can see I appear twice on the To line). The subject is “A strategic leadership conversation”. The body of the email reads as follows:
Hello Jonathan,
I took some time to review your background and was particularly impressed by your leadership at 4DMedical, especially your work in overseeing information security for a company that is revolutionizing respiratory imaging and ventilation analysis. The recommendations and outcomes associated with your profile consistently reflect an ability to drive strategic initiatives, influence stakeholders, and deliver meaningful impact.
The reason for reaching out is that I’m currently managing a highly confidential mandate for a role that represents a genuine step-up in scope, visibility, and strategic influence from what appears to be your current remit. Given your track record, I felt it would be worthwhile to connect before progressing further with the search.
I appreciate you may not be actively exploring opportunities. However, if you’re open to a discreet, no-obligation conversation, I’d welcome the opportunity to understand what an ideal next move would look like for you and determine whether there may be alignment.
Would you be available for a brief 15-minute conversation this week or next?
Kind regards,
{Your Name}
Yes, it really says “{Your Name}” at the bottom of the email text.
Below the text is a big signature with lots of text and images in it. There’s a circular photo of a bald man with a salt-and-pepper mustache and grey beard wearing a suit and tie you can barely see in the photo. Below that is dark rectangular block which if you squint at (it’s very hard to read) you can see has a stylized “M-N” local and the name “Michael Nussbaum” in gold lettering on the dark background; this is maybe an image of a business card? Hard to say. To the right of those two images, it says “Michael Nussbaum” in big letters. In slightly smaller letters below that, it says, “Managing Partner, Executive Search & Strategic Advisory”. Below that, it says:
“A confidential executive search and leadership advisory practice focused on connecting accomplished professionals with career-defining opportunities. Through a highly consultative approach, we help executives navigate their next leadership move while providing organizations access to exceptional talent capable of driving long-term business impact.”
Below that is a round email button icon, to the right of which it says “michael.executivesearch.advisory@gmail.com / Michael”. Below that there’s a map pin icon, to the right of which it says, “Houston, Texas, United States”. Below that is a LinkedIn button icon, and to the right of that a button which says “Save contact”.
