We all know the job market can be rough! Finding a job these days is difficult with seemingly endless applications, rejections, interviews, and screening calls. This is even with the plethora of job sources that the internet provides. From job boards and professional online networking to even social media or online ads, you can find a potential job anywhere!
Scammers take advantage of a competitive job market by posting fraudulent positions with the goal of stealing your personal information, getting money, or even just using you for free labor!
Below are some common employment scams.
One of a scammer’s simplest tactics is to just pose as someone else! Like with most impersonation scams, you may receive an unsolicited message from someone claiming to be from a well known company, or even a government entity.
They will typically offer you a position at their company, but only once you pay for a screening fee! Remember that jobs, especially government positions, will not require you to pay for any type of screening or application.
Fraudsters know that remote work is a big selling point for jobs! They will put out ads, send texts/emails, or post on job boards about a great work-from-home job that will make you thousands of dollars.
While these positions may seem legitimate, you might be coerced into forking out hundreds of dollars to pay for certifications or home office set-ups. You may even become the victim of check fraud—unknowingly depositing a fraudulent check from your new ‘employer’ only to find out too late that it’s a fake!
However, there is a chance that with these remote jobs, you may find yourself doing actual work! If you are asked to reship goods that are sent to your residence, you are most likely involved in postal fraud. This is when you are paid to receive, repackage, and reship goods that are sent to your house. However, these goods are often stolen, or bought with stolen card information.
While working with recruiters is not uncommon when searching for a job, be wary of anyone who guarantees a position, or requests funds immediately for their services. Scammers will promise to ‘optimize’ your application for a certain position, or give you insider information about companies that they say will help you secure a job.
There are many more tactics that scammers use to target victims looking for a job; visit Indeed’s webpage to learn more!
Like we always say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! If the job seems too perfect—higher than normal pay, easy application process, immediate hires—do more research about the company and the position.
Most job descriptions are detailed, communicating specific requirements, responsibilities, and overall company culture and expectations. If you come across a job post that doesn’t clearly state the job role, or maybe only requires candidates to be able to read, or be of legal age, it is most likely a scam.
Similar to a lot of phishing emails, messages from employment scammers are unsolicited and probably contain grammatical errors or are worded strangely.
While recruiters do sometimes reach out to job-seekers, unsolicited messages paired with any of the other red flags in this article is confirmation that it is a scam.
Remember that legitimate companies will never ask job candidates to pay for any type of screening or application fees. Payment requests are a tell-tale sign of a scam.
Scammers may also request sensitive information from you like your social security number or bank information. While you may need to provide this information to employers, this happens after you receive the job and sign an official offer letter.
Just as companies do their research on potential employees, it is equally important that you do research on the companies you are applying for! Doing a Google search can help you quickly discern whether you’re a scam target. Looking up terms like “[company name/recruiter name] scam” can reveal reports of other scam attempts, bad employee reviews, shady business practices, and more.
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