Job offer scams
You are looking for a good job, and good jobs are hard to find. Scammers may take advantage of this situation and send a fake job offer. In other to qualify for the job offer, the victim is usually required to perform unusual actions such as:
- Purchase products or subscribe to unwanted services in advance of or during a job application, e.g., buy a software, pay for a credit report or pay to have your resume reviewed.
- Provide personal or financial information before applying to the job. The open position is then suddenly filled and the victim’s financial data is later used for identity theft and financial frauds.
- Use his/her personal bank account to deposit cashier checks and immediately after, transfer the check’s face value to a third party’s account, except for a specified amount retained as a “first-week pay.” The victim’s bank later notifies him/her that it was a counterfeit check and the victim loses the transferred amount.
What you can do to prevent job offer scams
- Be suspicious about job offers too good to be true. Many fake job offers are not solicited (the scammer “found” the victim’s resume online), have vague job requirements and descriptions, or are written in an unprofessional way (with spelling or grammatical mistakes, for example).
- Avoid paying for products or services upfront, in exchange for an expedited job application or hiring process.
- Do not provide personal or financial information to people you do not know. Legitimate companies may ask you about personal and financial information for regulatory reporting purposes, usually during or after the hiring process is concluded.
- Never use your account to transfer money to people you don’t know. This may involve you in money laundering and has serious criminal consequences.
