Fake Job Scams

Unfortunately, fraudsters are thriving in the employment market right now and fake job scams are increasingly common, which is why it’s important to know and understand what to look for.

According to a SAFERjobs report, job scams are increasing year on year, most of which involve money laundering. This results in many candidates falling victim to handing out personal information for a fake job opportunity only to the fraudsters gain.

And it’s no surprise when these ads can often appear as real as they come, especially as some will even include the details of legitimate businesses to go undetected. They may entice job seekers to pay fees for background checks, premium phone lines, visas, online training, or insurance to where candidates may find themselves victim to financial and identity fraud.

So, to raise awareness of the issue, we’ve put together some of the main signs to look out for.

Unusual Requests 

As a candidate, you should never be asked for money to complete an application.

Communication 

If they’re communicating during unsociable hours, this may suggest they’re in a different time zone. Consider if this appears unusual for the role and company you’re applying.

Online Presence 

Do their social media pages look real? Do they exist? Is there a sufficient post history? Reliable connections, likes etc… Some fraudsters do create fake business accounts.

Links 

Check links are genuine before clicking. Some may be shortened like (bit.ly) or include unrelated words. If you click, check it is secure, safe and goes to the expected destination before doing anything else.

Emails 

If it’s from a legitimate company, they should not be delivered through someone’s personal accounts such as Hotmail or Gmail. 

Also, does the email have a professional template? Is the name genuine? Does it have hyphens? Are there unbranded signatures? Low-quality images or logos?

Mistakes

If an advertisement is from a legitimate business, it should be fairly free of inaccuracies especially when from an official website.

What To Do If You Think You’re Being Scammed

If believe you’ve stumbled across fake job scams and believe an advert is fake, contact SAFERjobs, a trusted non-profit supported government body. 

They can ensure the advert is removed, highlight fake job scams to other jobseekers and can provide you with free help and advice.

You can report fake jobs on this link –  https://www.safer-jobs.com/ 

You can also contact GOV UK, law enforcement and seek advice from Action Fraud if necessary.