As if a job seeker did not have enough items on their mind, comes news from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the rise in recruiting scams. For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported over 75,000 claims of job and business opportunity fraud in just the first three quarters of 2023 (2023 is the newest available information…it is after all the federal government).
You may be wondering what these companies do to try to scam job seekers. The usual approach of these fraudsters is to use the national employment sites, such as Indeed and LinkedIn, to trick job seekers into sharing their personal information with them. They then use this personal information to create an identity theft situation for their profit. The large, national employment sites are more likely to be used because they provide more anonymity to scammers than a local website, such as WNYJOBS.com. With WNYJOBS.com, an out-of-town scam company is more likely to raise early suspicion, leading to further vetting. In fact, WNYJOBS.com regularly rejects ads that appear suspicious in order to protect all of you.
There are several specific target groups that the recruitment scammers tend to focus on, as they prove to be easier pretty (at least, in perception) than others. What is sad is that this list consists mainly of people who can least afford to fall for these criminals.
• New Graduates – These individuals are relatively new to job seeking and lack the life experience of observing and avoiding recruitment scams. This group can also be fairly eager, to the point of desperation, to land the job they need to start their adulthood and perhaps the payment of student loans. All of this can prove to create fertile ground for someone to try to defraud a person.
• Senior Candidates – Similarly to new graduates, a semi-retired person may not have been in the job market recently and are less familiar with the warning signs of a scammer. There is also potentially fewer job openings available for this group, providing a bit more desperation and vulnerability.
• Work-From-Home – I am not sure why…but this type of work has traditionally been a source of employment scamming over the years. In this definition, we are not referring to the recently common situation where a known employer allows you to work some portion of your week at home rather than coming into the office. We are highlighting here opportunities to work-from-home” where you are stuffing envelopes or going to perform medical coding, etc. and you are expected to pay a fee to get you started. This is one category where “too good to be true” is probably spot-on.
• Candidates Who Overshare Their Looking – I am a huge advocate of letting your network know that you are open for new employment. This is a great way to get all of them looking for new leads for you, or to supply you with an online endorsement of your skills. However, sharing beyond your known network can bring some risk to yourself when it comes to these scammers. This could mean turning on the “Open to Work” option on social media, all the way to posting comments regarding how much you need a new position. This will alert the crooks monitoring social media, and rather than posting a phony job, they will reach out directly and make a pitch to you where you are pressured to be provided private information. If you appear to be high enough in your formal position, these scammers may reach out to you about investment or franchise opportunities to invest in.
Please use common sense when asked for personal information. For example, you should never be asked for banking information until after you have signed a post-completed offer and need to finalize your direct deposit. Similarly, please be careful when providing your social security number during the early application process for a company. Finally, don’t transfer any money in exchange for a job, this is a sure sign of a scam!
If you are unclear regarding whether an opportunity or company is a scam, then try to do your research. A legitimate company should have some presence or be referenced factually on the internet. If they are on the internet, but for Better Business Bureau or legal complaints, then steer clear of their posting.
Often, a phony job ad looks fairly unprofessional in format, style, and written content (typos, grammatical mistakes). A job scam will also typically contain a phone number to call or an e-mail address that will tie to g-mail, hot-mail, or other more typically personal account, rather than a business. Finally, if what they are offering seems out of line, such as a super high earnings potential, then fraud should come to your mind.
It is horrific to think that criminals would prey on those seeking to obtain employment, but the reality is that this is a growing area of financial and identity crime. It is imperative that you use common sense when job searching (if it sounds too good to be true…it is) and protect your personal information. Do not send money to anyone you have not fully vetted as legitimate. If we cut off any potential avenues, they will not make money and we will shut down these criminals!
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of WNYJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
