How to protect yourself from scammers offering fake job offers

NEW YORK (AP) – Between looking for openings, sending out resumes and interviewing for jobs, the job search is difficult. Now a growing trend scammers impersonating recruiters makes it even harder.

Employment fraud has increased up to now yr, according to Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit that helps consumers with identity breaches.

Since most job seekers seek for jobs on online platforms, fraudsters impersonate firms and recruiters to trick people into giving them money or personal information.

“We have really seen a huge increase in employment fraud,” Velasquez said. “I think it’s simply because we’ve fundamentally changed the way we recruit and hire people.”

This happened to Tehseen Islam, a 28-year-old quality assurance analyst. She had been in search of a job for several months when she finally got a proposal from a widely known marketing technology company. Or not less than that is what she thought.

After a week-long process that included completing a web-based form with interview screening questions, Islam was offered the job and received a check. She was asked to deposit funds and send the corporate $1,000 to cover shipping costs for equipment she needed for her job.

Just a few days later, her bank notified her that the check had bounced, and because it appeared she was working with the fraudsters, it ended all banking relationships along with her. That’s when she came upon the job was a scam.

“I’m a little traumatized,” said Islam, who lost $1,000 and unknowingly shared personal information with fraudsters.

If you are in search of a job, listed here are some expert recommendations on how to avoid scammers at work:

Learn how job scams work

Job scams are a variety of impersonation fraud.

Scammers tend to use the name of an worker of a big company and create job offers that match similar positions. Velasquez said the initial warning sign is that scammers normally try to make the job very attractive.

“They will be paid very high wages for somewhat low-skilled work,” she said. “And they often say it’s 100% remote because it’s very attractive to people.”

Some scammers post fake job offers, but others contact job seekers directly via direct messages or text messages. If scammers want to steal your personal information, they could ask you to fill out several forms containing information resembling your Social Security number and driver’s license information.

The only information a legal employer should ask for at first of the method is your skills, work experience and call information, Velasquez said.

Other details normally don’t need to be shared with the employer until you receive a proposal.

Do your research

Whether you are responding to a job ad or a recruiter, you wish to research the corporate, especially when you didn’t initiate the interview, Velasquez said.

Fake recruiters often contact job seekers via social media or text messages. If someone contacts you, confirm their identity before replying to their message.

Here are some recommendations when looking for a recruiter or company:

— Don’t reply to the message immediately.

– Go online and check if the corporate has any current job openings on their official website.

– Check the recruiter’s name and see in the event that they have a verifiable social media presence.

— If the corporate has job openings on its website, apply directly through its website.

Don’t reply or click on links

If you receive a message from a recruiter, it’s best not to respond unless you recognize the source is reliable. Avoid clicking on links sent to you when applying for a position or completing a questionnaire.

In Islam’s case, the scammers sent her a form with interview screening questions asking for private information.

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Don’t deposit checks

A typical scammer tactic is to send you a fake signing bonus after which ask you to send back a few of the money, supposedly to cover expenses. This is how fraudsters steal money from job seekers, said Alvaro Puig, a consumer education specialist on the Federal Trade Commission.

“If you submit a check that is fake, your account will show that the money is there. But a few days later the bank discovers it was a fake check,” Puig said.

So when you take money out of your account and send it to a fake recruiter, the cash will come from your checking account and you will not give you the option to get it back.

Choose job offers you trust

When looking for a job on platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, Velasquez recommends being especially careful with job postings and trusted recruiters. Although these platforms have a very good popularity and lots of the jobs posted on them are real, firms cannot confirm every job posted. This creates a possibility for fraudsters to post fake job offers and scam people.

“Don’t let platforms that you know are legitimate allow other people to borrow that trust,” Velasquez said.

After his experience with job scammers, Islam is more careful about selecting job offers he trusts. Now he has a listing of steps he follows, including verifying the recruiter’s email address using a free email verification tool like Emailable or Clearout and calling the corporate directly.

“It is now extending my job search, but I cannot blindly trust that this person is who they say they are,” Islam said.

Report fraud

If you or a member of your loved ones have been a victim of fraud, it is nice practice to report it on the web site FTC website.