TOKYO - A private survey released on April 3rd found that roughly one in five high school students in Japan has encountered information believed to be linked to so-called “dark part-time jobs” on social media, as job listing platforms and authorities move to counter the spread of such illicit recruitment using artificial intelligence.
Posts suspected of promoting illegal work are widespread online, often advertising offers such as “high income with no experience required” or “no problem even if your bank account is blacklisted,” raising concerns over their appeal to young users.
According to the survey, about 210 out of 1,089 high school students nationwide said they had come across information believed to be related to “dark part-time jobs” on platforms such as social media.
Such postings are not limited to social media and may also appear on job listing websites, prompting operators to strengthen monitoring systems.
At one of Japan’s largest part-time job platforms, Baitoru, artificial intelligence is being used to detect suspicious listings. The system identifies unusual or potentially risky keywords—such as references to “delivery,” “bank accounts,” or “credit cards”—that are not typically associated with legitimate job postings, and evaluates the level of risk accordingly.
Dip Inc., which operates the platform, has introduced the system to flag and lock accounts deemed suspicious.
Similar efforts are underway at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, which uses AI to detect coded language associated with such illegal job offers on social media and sends warning messages to users who interact with these posts.
The police plan to expand awareness efforts through schools and educational settings, aiming to prevent young people from becoming involved in illegal work schemes.
Source: TBS
