Employment scams emerge and thrive during periods of recession. As desperate jobseekers become more willing than ever to let their guard down when they are convinced that they are on the path to score an exceptional financial position, scammers come in with offers such as work-at-home jobs, business partnership opportunities and be your own boss positions.
And scam artists are not really shy. From social networking websites to phone calls they may pose as legitimate headhunters and approach unsuspecting aspirants. Canada's Better Business Bureau listed social media scams among its top ten scams for 2011, saying that scammers are using websites such as Facebook and Twitter to post bogus job advertisements and investment schemes.
So how do you tell the difference between a genuine job post and a fraudulent one? The answer is combination of understanding who scammers are targeting and how they present themselves and the bogus prospects.
Here are a few tips:
Reality check
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. As parents often told us as children "you must have skills and work hard to earn a decent wage". Nothing has changed in this wisdom. Therefore, if an agent or a job offer promises a CEO wage for doing a menial job, this job has to fall in either one of the following categories. First, it is a legitimate job but the financial prospect is misleading, which sends some alarming signals on the employer's practices and integrity. The second option, which is more likely, is that the job is some sort of fraud or a criminal activity.
Read between the lines
Advertising is positive by nature. But when it comes to job ads, legitimate companies are usually balanced and realistic in their presentation of job benefits and work environment, even if they remain upbeat on their position as employers.
Therefore, a job opportunity that promises an exceptional salary or some unprecedented financial gain is probably not real.
Some jobs, particularly if posted online, send you to a web page that is loaded with positive testimonials. No real employer will feel the need to include such statements.
Familiarise yourself with how trusted companies format their job ads and career websites. You will see that in addition to the job details, requirements and qualifications, the focus is usually on the corporate culture, training and career advancement opportunities.
Staff experiences may be included in moderation as insightful success stories that are almost never entered on remuneration.
Red flags
If you're asked to pay any fees for an application or buy a product, this is not a genuine job offer. Any application form that requires your credit card information and any job that involves accepting or transferring money out of your account can lead to trouble.
The risk here goes beyond monetary loss, simply because a combination of your personal data and a resume can make sufficient material for identity theft.
So remember that while employers usually don't require your personal details until very late in the hiring process, scam artists will try to get as much personal detail as soon as possible. You need to check and double check the identity of whoever posing as a future employer before you share details such as passport copies, identity card and driver's license numbers.
Serious stuff
In addition to being a source of disappointment and potential monetary loss, job scams can land you in jail if you end up taking part in some criminal activity such as money laundering.
Susan Joyce, owner of employment portal Job-Hunt said told www.careersolvers.com that one of the common job posting scams asks you to accept shipments of items from suppliers. Then your job will be to re-package and re-ship the items to customers. The reality is that suppliers are actually thieves who send you stolen property. When you re-package and ship the stolen property back, you've taken part in the crime.
You might claim ignorance, but I am not sure how far this will stand in a court of law.
Tips to spot a job scam
- It offers a salary that is much higher than the market average
- It requires personal data such as identity card number or credit card details
- It charges you for an application, a training course or a seminar
- It requires use of your personal bank account to accept or transfer fund.
- It requires you to buy a product or make an investment
— R.O.
The writer, a former Business Features Editor at Gulf News, is a freelance journalist based in Salt Lake City, Utah.