Protect yourself from scammers with fake vacancies

NEW YORK – Finding a job can be a daunting task that involves searching for openings, submitting resumes, and interviewing. Now, the growing trend of scammers posing as recruiters is making the task even more difficult.

Employment scams have increased in the past year, according to Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit that helps consumers when their identities are compromised.

Since most job seekers turn to online platforms to find jobs, scammers impersonate companies and recruiters to trick people into giving them money or personal information.

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

This happened to Tehsin Islam, a 28-year-old quality assurance analyst. She had been looking for a job for several months when she finally received an offer from a well-known marketing technology company. Or at least that’s what she thought.

After a week-long process that included an online form with interview screening questions, Islam was offered the job and received a check. She was asked to make a deposit and send the company $1,000 to pay for shipping equipment she would need for her job.

A few days later, her bank notified her that the check had bounced, and because it appeared she was collaborating with the scammers, it terminated all banking relationships with her. That’s when she found out the job was a scam.

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

If you’re looking for a job, here are some expert tips on how to avoid scams:

Find out how employment scams work

Jobs fraud is a type of impersonation scam.

Fraudsters typically use the name of an employee at a large company and create a job posting that matches similar positions. According to Velasquez, the first warning sign is that scammers usually try to make the job look very attractive.

“They will receive very high wages for unskilled work,” she said. “And they often say it’s 100 percent remote work because it’s so attractive to people.”

Some scammers post fake jobs, but others directly approach job seekers via direct messages or text messages. If scammers want to steal your personal information, they may ask you to fill out several forms that include information such as your Social Security number and driver’s license information.

According to Velazquez, the only information a legitimate employer should ask for at the beginning of the process is your skills, work experience and your contact information.

Other details usually do not need to be provided to the employer until you receive an offer.

Do your research

Whether you’re responding to a job posting or a recruiter, you should research the company, especially if you didn’t initiate the conversation, Velazquez said.

Fake recruiters often contact job seekers through social media or text messages. If someone contacts you, verify your identity before responding to the message.

Here are some guidelines when researching a recruiter or company:

• Don’t reply to the message right away.
• Go online and find out if the company has current openings on its official website.
• Find out the recruiter’s name and see if they have a verifiable social media presence.
• If there is a vacancy on the company’s website, apply directly through the website.

Do not reply or follow links

If you receive a message from a recruiter, it’s best not to respond unless you’re sure the source is trustworthy. Do not click on any links sent to you to apply for a job or complete a questionnaire.

In Islam’s case, the scammers sent her a form with interview screening questions in which they asked for her personal information.

Don’t deposit checks

A common tactic by scammers is that they send you a fake signing bonus and then ask you to return some money, supposedly to cover expenses. It’s a way for scammers to steal money from job applicants, says Alvaro Puig, consumer education specialist for the Federal Trade Commission.

“If you deposit a check and it turns out to be fraudulent, your account will show the money. But within a few days the bank would discover it was a bad check,” Puig said.

So, if you withdraw money from your account and send it to a fake recruiter, the money will come out of your bank account and it will be impossible to get it back.

Be selective

When searching for jobs through platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, Velasquez recommends being very careful about the jobs and recruiters you trust. While these platforms are trustworthy and many of their job postings are real, companies cannot verify every job posted. This gives scammers the opportunity to post fake job listings and scam people.

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

After her experience with scammers, Islam became more cautious about the jobs she trusted. She now has a list of steps she goes through, including checking the recruiter’s email using a free email address checker like Emailable or Clearout and calling the company directly.