What if someone stole your entire career — your résumé, portfolio, headshot, even your home address?

In this Workfluencer Trend Report, Rhona explores the real case of freelance writer Jolissa Skow, who discovered an imposter had been living her professional life since 2023. The impersonator used Jolissa’s identity to land contract work, participate in Slack, attend camera-off meetings, and even get paid — all while colleagues believed they were working with her.

Based on Jolissa’s public LinkedIn posts and reporting by Dr. Janice Gassam Asare, this episode examines how career identity theft is emerging as a new risk for anyone building a personal brand. With job scams tripling since 2020 and 17% of hiring managers reporting deepfake candidates, the line between authentic and artificial has never been thinner.

Has this happened to you? Share your questions or story at https://www.workfluencerpodcast.com — your voicemail may shape a future series on protecting your brand from impersonation.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Read Dr. Gassam Assare's article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/career-identity-theft-how-one-womans-stolen-without-asare-ph-d--2zrre/

CONNECT WITH RHONA ON LINKEDIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonabarnettpierce/

personal branding, remote work, identity theft, workfluencer, Job scams, Protecting your brand, Online reputation, Career protection, Employment fraud, personal brand protection, imposter scams, remote work risks, professional impersonation

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