Keeping Your Guard Up: Avoid Job Scams With This Handy Guide

Countless jobseekers fall prey to job frauds and con artists every year. As if the stress of finding the right job was not enough, they take the extra trouble of verifying the legitimacy of their next employer.

And they have to. Because the scammers have gotten really good.

But there are ways to spot job hoaxes and all the employment fakery that exists today in the jobs market. Let’s take a look at some of the important things you should remember at all times.

Reading the e-Signs

Understand that fake recruiters have mastered the art of persuasion. They will try to convince you at every twist and turn. But you must watch out for certain signs that will give them away.

Take emails for instance, you can sniff out the danger as soon as you find out that the typed contents are poorly written. If that, or there are grammatical errors peppered everywhere. Examine if it has been proofread or seems to have been written by someone whose first language is English. Genuine employers take professional relationships seriously.

Perhaps even before getting to reading the mail, you should give the sender’s email address a thorough look.  Whatever the sender ID, look it up on the search engine and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn. If it raises even more suspicion, then it’s a plain No.

Speaking of emails, don’t miss out their (fake) company website. Like the email, the domain name will be a variation of its original. Just stall them, get in touch with the (real) company’s HR this time, and enquire. 

And finally, if you get an email claiming to be a top company, like Amazon or Tesla, don’t say anything. In fact, don’t even open the mail. Rarely do such companies email candidates about a job opening. 

Good news from the get-go?

The most important thing to remember when you’re trying to determine if a job offer is a scam is that scams come in many forms. It’s hard to spot them all, but with common sense and a little research, it’s possible.

When you’re applying for a job, think about whether the pay and benefits are fair. If they seem too good to be true, they probably are. Also, even if there is proof that the numbers aren’t too good to be true, they still might not be accurate.

Like mentioned before, there’s only so much you can do. Even if they get to you, never ever hand out personal documents such as your bank account number, debit or credit card number, passport number, driver’s license, Aadhaar Number, PAN. 

The more you ask, the more you know

Every investigation starts with a question. And since this is about your career,  resources and peace of mind, you have to put your recruiter in the hot seat for a change. One of the first questions you should ask is about themselves. Who are they and what do they do? 

They should be able to clearly describe their company and the services or products they sell.  If you’re offered a job, ask how often your employer plans on paying employees and what payment method they will use (check, cash, etc.). 

 Ask your prospective employer to tell you what your job responsibilities will be and how long they anticipate the position will last. You have to understand that even if the employer might be real, they might want to hire you only to get their job done.

That is to say, they want to hire you only on a temporary basis and then let go (without notice), or worse yet, even without paying. So, ask, ask as many questions as possible. 

Not paying is the ultimate payback

Basically, scammers are after money. After yours, someone else’s, but at the sake of genuine desperation and misery. You can throw a spanner in the works by cutting off the incentive. Stop paying!

They will probably tell you that there is a fee to block your selection or interview. When this happens, or you’re demanded money of any kind, just moonwalk away. 

Staying alert and in the know of such signs is what you can do to stay vigil. It’s also crucial for you to choose the right platform when finding jobs. Get on a trusted job platform or a job search app of repute that provide real jobs; ignore the rest.

In the end, keep networking with professionals and colleagues. There are other avenues for employment too, like referrals. Your own network of professionals can help you authenticate the veracity of the job offer. Or better yet, they’ll look out for potential job opportunities on your behalf.