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Cyber scams and cheats target job seekers: Six tips to protect yourself
As more and more job seekers turn to the internet looking for positions, scammers are finding ways to dupe them of their money. Cyber fraud, money laundering and scams are confronting online job seekers. Authorities have reported a large rise in online scams targeting those looking for a new job or part time position. Investigators are uncovering new methods being utilized by groups including organized crime rings.
One of the boom businesses on the internet has been online recruitment whereby job seekers have an easy way to review various positions vacant in their area which suit their qualifications and experience. Along with the established pay to advertise sites displaying adverts on behalf of recruitment agencies and businesses, there are now a number of free to advertise sites; these sites often focus on part time or work from home positions.
Unfortunately, many job seekers in their desperation to grab the opportunity of making some money; have fallen foul of fake adverts for nonexistent jobs. The advertisers often use a rolling index of generic business name such as Alpha Recruitment Inc and obscure their office location and contact details – choosing to communicate via email only.
One of the favourite types of scams is to offer a supposed work from home position which involves the applicant utilizing their own bank account to receive fake cheques, transfers or deposits from other unwitting victims.
One twist is where the fake employer offers to help get the job applicant started by depositing cheques into the job applicant’s bank account. The job applicant is then instructed to pay over most of those funds to other parties via wire transfers. Unfortunately, the cheques are either fraudulent or already cashed whilst the recipients of the transfers are part of the criminal sting. This leaves the victim not only out of pocket to the tune of thousands of dollars but also liable for criminal prosecution for money laundering, however naïve and innocent the victim.
Another scam is to have the victim complete a fake online application form which includes all their personal information such as full name, date of birth, current & past addresses, SSN or driving licence numbers. The position is nonexistent and the scam is to glean as much personable information as possible to effect the theft of their identity and start taking out false loans, mortgages over their property, credit cards etc.
One slightly more innocuous scam is to charge a small fee [usually less than $100] for assistance with finding that lucrative and sought after position. The assistance mainly consists of little more than obvious advice, contact numbers, government website addresses etc. Any person wanting a refund will find it nigh on impossible to track the entity behind the website and any effort is way beyond the $100 spent.
Some fake recruiters have been known to falsely claim to represent international companies for positions overseas. These fake recruiters then charge `processing fees’ and even go so far as to arrange bogus interview boards and medical examinations. The job seeker only learns that they have been scammed when the promised job fails to materialize and the HR Department of the intended employer has never heard of the agency. By this time, the recruiter has closed down, changed names and moved offices.
Probably the most dangerous schemes are those that trick job seekers into scams known as reshippers or money mules. These scams are often operated by international criminal syndicates with links to drug trafficking and money laundering. Far more sophisticated than the all too familiar Nigerian e-mail messages, money mules are recruited by supposed international businesses looking for “receiving payment agents” who will accept payments into their bank account from “customers” (often identity fraud victims) and transfer the money to their “employer” (overseas criminals). Some duped agents are told to keep ten percent, but many are promised payment by direct deposit, which, of course, never comes.
Reshipper scams begin with bogus international shipping companies looking for “logistics managers” to receive packages of valuable items such as laptops, iPods and cameras, bought with stolen credit cards, and forward them to an address in a foreign country. The agent is meant to receive payments for their efforts, but rarely do so, and often is raided by the Police investigating the criminal activity.
Tips to protect you from the scammers
BE SUSPICIOUS. Query any unsolicited email offering a position or else any email using poor grammar and spelling which comes from an email addresses that don’t match the name of the company. Real recruitment companies use polished language, emphasize a position’s duties and use corporate e-mail addresses, not Hotmail or Gmail accounts.
KEEP YOUR INFORMATION PRIVATE. Restrict the personal information you give out online. Avoid including any information you wouldn’t want everyone knowing, which is exactly what you’re doing. Avoid providing your address, a key part of information for those organizing identity fraud; genuine employers are happy with a general geographic location. Unless you’re signing an employment agreement, keep your Identity Card or passport number to yourself.
KEEP TO WHAT YOU KNOW. If you are in a particular sector or profession, stick with that and avoid companies offering high salaries for something you’re not familiar with. Stick with industry-specific employment boards or professional groups which are less likely to be targeted by scammers.
DO SOME RESEARCH. Research the company. Do they have a commercial Web site with lots of content, a list of manager’s names and a phone number where you can reach a human being? How long has the website been running – does it have links to genuine sites?
Some simple internet searches can spot trouble. You can also check a companies’ reputation with government agencies plus look for complaints on Web sites like Complaintsboard.com and PhishBucket.org.
KEEP IT SIMPLE. Look for positions locally via the newspaper, want ads, associations, friends or relatives or the local job centre. If the position sought is temporary or not career changing, keep it simple.
GET TO KNOW THE COMPANY. Seek to identify any employees, suppliers or customers of the company who can vouch for the company. Take the view that if you can’t meet them face to face or call them direct on a local phone number then it’s best not to be engaged with them.
nathan peak says:
More & more people are falling victims to web scammers and there’s little the police can do to help! Be skeptical and think twice before getting involved with these supposed job recruiters
October 13th, 2009 at 2:30 am