- Data from Ofcom shows that nearly one in three (30%) UK adults who use the internet have come across a fake employment scam at least once.
- Cybersecurity expert Tim Hall, CTO at managed IT services provider Boxxe, shares his top tips on how to avoid an online recruitment scam
An IT expert is warning jobseekers to be extra vigilant when reviewing and responding to listings on online recruitment platforms, as fake jobs (that look like they’re from legitimate businesses) are becoming more widespread, and they can be very damaging.
LinkedIn recently reported that it had to remove over 100 million cases of scams content in the last year alone.
Fraudsters often prey on eager jobhunters by sharing very compelling roles. They then request personal information and use this to steal identities and empty bank accounts.
And once your personal data is in the hands of these criminals, they can do a lot of damage with it.
With this in mind, cybersecurity expert Tim Hall, CTO at managed IT services provider Boxxe, shares his top tips to help jobseekers spot an online recruitment scam:
Be wary of fully remote jobs with great benefits
First of all, before you go any further with a job listing you need to ask yourself this key question: Does it look too good to be true?
If the compensation is way above industry average, or the job has a long list of great benefits, it’s probably a scam.
You should also be careful with fully remote jobs because most of the recruitment process is conducted online. This makes it harder to verify the legitimacy of the company and the person you’re speaking to.
To verify whether the job listing really belongs to a company, you can contact them via their official website to confirm this.
You can also use Companies House and other publicly available tools to check the history of the company you are applying for to ensure that it is a legitimate UK business.
Don’t click on any links in emails or private messages
Many companies use external websites to list and process job applications nowadays. If the recruiter asks you to apply for a job on one of these platforms, never click on a direct link that you are sent to get there.
Instead, you should find the job listing yourself by searching for the job title and company name on Google. When you find the link, ensure that the recruiting software is trustworthy before you enter your details there.
Don’t accept a job without a formal interview and written contract
Another red flag to watch out for is that fake jobs don’t usually have a long or extensive application process and will pressure you to start working very soon instead.
Common tactics include falsely claiming that you need to accept the job within a short time window, otherwise another candidate would be chosen instead.
If you feel uncomfortable by persistent chasing or time limits, you shouldn’t go further with the opportunity. Likewise, it’s very important that you don’t start working before there is a written contract of employment in place.
Don’t sign documents or agree to terms you don’t understand. In these cases, you should seek advice from a professional lawyer or a registered charity such as Citizens Advice first.
Don’t share personal information or make payments before your first day at work
During the onboarding process, companies need to collect some personal information such as copies of photo ID and bank details to verify their workers and set them up on their system.
However, you should never share these details with a potential employer while you’re still in the recruitment process. Scammers often post fake job listings to extract personal information like bank details from unknowing jobhunters.
Only share sensitive information with your employer after you officially start working for them.
Likewise, you shouldn’t make any payments upfront to secure a position or pay for equipment before your job is confirmed. In these cases, it can be very hard to get your money back once you have authorised the payment.
If you do fall for an online recruitment scam, Tim advises you should do the following immediately:
- Report the incident to the police and Action Fraud
- Document all communication, including profile names, phone numbers and email addresses and add them to your report
- If you suspect that scammers may have accessed your login details change all your passwords and enable 2FA on your online accounts
- If you shared bank details with the scammer, call your bank to make them aware and lock the account if needed
- If you shared personal details with the scammer, track your credit score and monitor the dark web for any breaches containing your data using a reputable cybersecurity software