With widespread layoffs in the tech industry and other job fields, workers are finding themselves again looking for jobs. Finding jobs can be stressful especially when there’s a financial strain. This makes it the perfect place for scammers to target new victims.
Looking for jobs is already something that requires you to share information with others in order to get hired. Most of the time you’re giving up information to strangers before going in person or getting interviewed for the position. Sometimes, when people are in a tight situation, it can cause them to act out of desperation instead of thinking it through. Scammer would target these type of people and offer positions that sound too good to be true like $40-50 per hour for work that sounds “easy.”
Tips to Spot and Avoid Online Job Scams
When you go online to search for jobs, sometimes the posting could wind up being “good” (it offers high pay or its remote and you don’t have to do much combined with the fact that it’s entry level, etc.). Here are some tips to help you avoid online job scams:
1. Research the Employer or Company
Check if the company exists. Do a quick Google search to see if it exists. Sometimes, scammers would use a real company for their job posting so it’s not 100% safe to rely on just researching if the company exists. Check their reviews as well. You can check it on sites like Glassdoor. When reading the reviews, check to see if the reviews are legit. Sometimes, people can leave reviews saying the job is a scam. You may never find those reviews but it’s always good to check.
2. Check if the Posting is Legit
Often times you’ll get an email from the job that you applied saying if you got the interview for the job or not. Check the company’s website to see if they have the job posting there too. Many employers have a webpage dedicated to job postings so if it doesn’t matches what you see on other sites such as Indeed or ZipRecruiter then you should proceed with caution. Also, if the job offers high pay for minimal work, then that should be a red flag that the job posting is potentially false.
3. Check the Response Time
Applying for jobs could take weeks if not months so when you apply for a job and get an email for an interview right away, it should raise suspicions whether the job is real or not. Most jobs don’t email you a couple days after you apply for the job so when you respond to the email, check how quickly you get a response back. If it’s just a couple of minutes or within an hour, you should be cautious with the job offer. Most scammers work very quickly and so they would respond quickly as well since they need to get as many victims as possible.
4. Respond Without Giving Too Much Information
When you get an email or text from an employer, respond to them with responses like these:
“Which job site did you find me on when I applied to this position?” Or “how did you find me?” Don’t ask them if they found you on a certain site.
Example of what you shouldn’t say:
“Did you find my application on ZipRecruiter?” Don’t give them a yes or no question that gives them a higher chance to guess it correctly.
When you respond by asking them where they found you from, they’ll most likely answer it wrong. Still, you should check whatever site they respond to you with to see if your application is on that site. Example: If they answer that they found you on ZipRecruiter for a data entry position, then check the date, job, and employer to see if it exists. If it doesn’t, then you can be sure that it’s likely a scam.
5. Avoid Interviews Over Message Apps
One big red flag of an online job scam is if the employer asks you to do an interview over a messaging app like Telegram, WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams. Most legit employers won’t ask you to do an interview over a messaging app, at least not that quickly. Online job scammers will often ask you to do an interview a couple days after they first contact you. If you do see yourself in a situation where you’re already in the “interview” and don’t know whether to proceed or not, make sure not to give any information.
6. Verify the Employer’s Identity Before Giving Information
Make sure that before you give any private information, you ask for a video call. Do not give your bank account number or social security number through email, messaging app or phone call. Scammers might want you to deposit checks for “start up costs” like buying a laptop or a machine for working. Usually, this check is a huge amount. Do not process the check on your bank account. The scammer is trying to get access to your bank account through the check. If you have already processed the check, immediately contact your bank and tell them that the check is fraud.
7. Make Sure the Website is Secure
If you have to give your information, please be very sure that the employer is verified through the tips on this list. If you are unsure if any one of these tips are check off when you review the employer and job offering, then it is best to move on to your next job search no matter how tempting the job offering sounds. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Signs of a Job Posting Scam
If the job posting sounds fishy, then do not get tempted to jump right at the opportunity. In fact it’s probably best to avoid it altogether.
There are a few ways scammers do this. One, they create fake websites with logos from legitimate companies to make it more “real.” Victims fill out the site with sensitive information and they might even ask for credit card or bank account number. Second, they email you about a job offering and ask you to reply immediately. Third, they send you a text on your phone and ask if you want the job offering then you can chat with their “manager” or “supervisor” on a messaging app like WhatsApp or Telegram. Once they get your money, they stop responding and just disappear. Here are some common tactics of online job scammers:
- Suspicious interview
- Always request for in-person interview but if that’s not possible then ask for video interview. If the employer doesn’t use the company’s email or have a verifiable phone number to call them on, then that should raise big red flags.
- Money Request
- If at any point of the hiring process, especially during the interview phase, the employer asks for bank details or credit card details, it’s very likely it’s a scam. In fact, if it’s any information that isn’t required for the hiring process then it’s also likely a scam. Employers don’t need your money to see if you’re qualified for the position.
- Suspicious Profiles
- Scammers will likely use profiles of real people of the company to make it believable when you look them up. Make sure not to rely on a simple check like a profile check. Scammers likely have that covered. Always dig deeper on everything to verify if it’s a scam.
Conclusion
Remember, if you feel like the job offering is suspicious, even a little, take the time to research and check the employer and job offering many times over before proceeding to responding to the offer. Taking the opportunity to research may save you from a potential danger.