How To Avoid Job Scams
Lately, we have seen an increase in the number of people seeking online employment opportunities. It is more comfortable, efficient, and easy to tackle other household chores which makes it less tiring and easy to maintain. Or, perhaps the traditional work environment just doesn’t suit you, so you decide to work from home. Online jobs have great advantages and being able to work from home is a definite plus for many people. Unfortunately, criminals use this opportunity to exploit job seekers with fake job proposals to get a hold of their personal information such as credit card and bank details.
Have you ever gotten a job proposal that seems too good to be true? It can sometimes be difficult to spot the difference between a real job and a scam. Internet scam is rampant so it is important to do your research and report cases of fraud. Here are some tip-offs and insight on how to identify as well as avoid online scams.
- The employer is asking for a payment. Legitimate companies and organizations will never ask for a payment. Scammers will ask you to pay security fees, pay for a service, pay to have your resume reviewed, or tell you that you need to purchase the software.
- The employer asks you to provide them with confidential information. It is common for scammers to ask for bank account information to set up direct deposit or transfer payments directly into your account. Some scammers will also direct you to a website and ask you to fill out a credit report with confidential information so that they can add you to the company insurance. When in reality, there is no company insurance and all they want is your social security number, birth date, and other personal information.
Never provide any form of ID or documentation even if they just want to “verify” your identity. Scammers use this tactic to get access to your personal documents. This is basically to help them in committing fraud and money laundering by confirming customer identity through their documents.
Note: In some countries such as the USA, your social security and ID information is required for taxes
- The work is too good to be true. Good jobs aren’t always so easy to find. Sometimes, if something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. A red flag is if you didn’t contact them and they are the ones who contacted you. They will say they found your resume online and offer the job right away or say they want to interview you. Another red flag is if they hire you right away after a quick phone call or instant message. Scammers catch your attention by paying more for a job than it is actually worth. They also might not require any qualifications for the job. Neither your certifications nor your skills matter to them. They use social engineering to trick your mind and make you believe them by showing false evidence.
How do I report online fraud or scams?
If you notice an employer trying to scam you, do not hesitate to report them. Visit the user’s page and click on “report user.”
What to do if you get scammed?
Do not waste time trying to find solutions on how you can recover from the loss. Just report them to local authorities as soon as possible. They can help you get your money back and even save future victims that are new to the idea of online employment and unaware of the threats.
Note: every hour of every day, many people from all around the world are still falling for job scams.