How to protect yourself from scammers offering fake jobs

NEW YORK – Between searching for vacancies, submitting your resume, and interviewing, looking for a job is difficult. Now a growing trend of scammers impersonating recruiters makes it even more difficult.

Over the past year, job scams have been on the rise, according to Eva Velásquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit that helps consumers when their identities are compromised.

Because most job seekers turn to online platforms to find employment, scammers pose as companies and recruiters to trick people into giving them money or personal information.

“We’ve really seen a tremendous growth in employment scams,” Velasquez said. “I think that’s just due to the fact that we fundamentally changed the way we recruit and hire people.”

It happened to Tehseen Islam, a 28-year-old quality control analyst. He had been looking for a job for a few months when he 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. They asked him to deposit it and send the company $1,000 to pay for shipping the equipment he would need for the job.

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

“I’m a little traumatized,” said Islam, who lost the $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 job scammers:

Know how job scams work

Employment scams are a type of phishing scam.

Scammers tend to use the name of an employee at a large company and create a job ad that matches similar positions. An initial red flag is that scammers typically try to make the job very attractive, Velasquez said.

“They are going to have very high salaries for low-skilled work,” he said. “And they often say it’s a 100% remote position because it’s very attractive to people.”

Some scammers post fake jobs, but others reach job seekers directly through direct messages or text messages. If scammers are looking 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 details.

The only information a legitimate employer should ask for at the beginning of the process is your skills, work experience and contact information, Velasquez said.

It is generally not necessary to share other details with an employer until you have received an offer.

Do your research

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

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

Here are some recommendations as you research the recruiter or company:

— Don’t reply to the message immediately.

— Go online and find out if the company has current job openings on their official website.

— Research the recruiter’s name and see if the person has a verifiable social media presence.

— If the company has a job opening on its website, apply directly through the website.

Don’t reply or click on links

If you receive a message from a recruiter, it’s best not to respond unless you know the source is reputable. Avoid clicking on any link they send you, whether to apply for a position or fill out a questionnaire.

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

Do not deposit checks

A common tactic is for scammers to send you a fake signing bonus and then ask you to return some money to them, supposedly to cover expenses. This is a way for scammers to steal money from job seekers, said Alvaro Puig, a consumer education specialist at the Federal Trade Commission.

“If you deposit a check and it’s fake, your account will show the money is there. But days later, the bank will discover that it was a fake check,” Puig said.

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

Be selective about the job offers you trust

When looking for a job through platforms such as LinkedIn and Indeed, Velásquez recommends being very careful with job offers and trusted recruiters. While these platforms are reputable and many of their job postings are real, companies cannot verify every job opportunity posted. This creates an opportunity for scammers to post fake job offers and deceive people.

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

After her experience with job scammers, Islam has been more careful about the job offers she trusts. You now have a list of steps to follow, including verifying a recruiter’s email through a free email address validator, like Emailable or Clearout, and calling the company directly.

“This adds a lot more time to my job search now, but I can’t blindly trust that this person is who they say they are,” Islam said.

Report the scam

If you or a family member is a victim of a scam, it is good practice to report it to the FTC website.

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