How to Identify and Avoid a Job Scam

Job scams are becoming increasingly common in the digital age, so when you’re searching for a new job, it’s important to be sure the position you’re applying for is a legitimate opportunity. A job scam is a misleading offer of employment designed to trick individuals who are looking for genuine employment opportunities. Job scams prey upon vulnerable job seekers and can have disastrous consequences to those who fall victim to their false promises.

Read more to learn how to spot a job scam, and how to keep yourself and your information safe from scammers.

How to Identify a Job Scam?

Disingenuous job offers often have commonalities you can identify. Key indicators of a job scam include:
 

1. It’s too good to be true: Like many things in life, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. When a job description outlines a schedule promising you’ll only need to work from home one to two hours per week, or that the salary is unrealistically high for the job at hand, these are immediate red flags.  
2. Unsolicited interest: Be aware if someone acting as a recruiter contacts you unprovoked. If someone reaches out to you about a job, whether via email or over the phone, and you are unable to verify their identity or if the company they work for is reputable, you should take caution when pursuing the offer they describe.
3. A random job offer: Receiving a job offer without applying or interviewing is another cause for alarm. When you’re looking for a job, getting a job offer is the goal, and job scammers know this. Think about it in reverse – would you offer someone a job without seeing their credentials first? Probably not. Any respectable, worthwhile job wants to see your qualifications and often references before offering you a position.
4. Unprofessional communication: If you receive an email or other correspondence that includes poor grammar, syntax, or spelling, it’s a dead giveaway that a job scam is occurring. Scammers count on luring in individuals who may have trouble discerning misleading communications. Additionally, using incorrect communication helps scammers bypass spam filters, allowing their schemes to get in front of vulnerable individuals.  
5. Request for personal information: If the company requests personal information before you have applied or spoken to someone directly, this can be an indication the job offer is disingenuous. Legitimate jobs will take careful steps to protect your privacy as well as their own and will usually use verifiable channels to request information after you are far along in the interview process.  
6. Software downloads: When a company asks you to download unusual software to engage in an interview, be cautious about computer viruses or malware infecting your device. Reputable organizations will often use Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or other well-established channels of communication to conduct your interview. Research the software they suggest if it is a name you don’t recognize.

What Are Some Different Types of Job Scams?

When it comes to the variety of job scams, there are plenty, and it’s helpful to be aware of the different types making their rounds. Here are six of the most common:

1. Phishing scams: When a criminal poses as a legitimate business or person, all the while being a scammer on the other end, this is what is known as a phishing scam. The goal of these scams is often to lure the individual into a false sense of confidence, preying upon their relationship with more knowledge of the reputable business or person, to get access to information like credit card numbers, personal information, or bank account numbers.
2. Email/texting (SMS) offers: Someone acting as a recruiter may reach out to you via email explaining how they came across your resume and want to offer you a job. Although these can sometimes be genuine, one way to spot an email job scam is if the message asks you for sensitive information like a bank account number or personal identification number early in the process. Like email job scams, texting or SMS offers frequently promise high salaries and remote work with little to no responsibilities.  
3. Pyramid schemes: In a pyramid scheme, a scammer will reach out to you offering a too-good-to-be-true job scenario where no actual product or service is sold. The crux of a pyramid scheme revolves around recruitment of new individuals to join the program, with an initiation fee to get started. Pyramid schemes always fail because their sole purpose is to recruit new members, and there is a finite number of people in the world. Eventually, the scheme gets too large, and the scammer cannot pay back the early investors, resulting in collapse.
4. Request for payment: Offering a job but asking you to pay for any part of the application process is another common scheme. Beware if a fraudster asks you to provide your credit card or bank information during any part of the application process. These scams can often be disguised as the scammer asking you to pay for a specific software to have your interview, run a credit report, or anything else you are expected to buy to participate.
5. Money laundering: If a job asks you to transfer money into your account with the intent of sending it to someone else, use extreme caution, as this may be part of a money laundering scheme.
6. Work-from-home scams: Although remote work has recently become more prevalent, job scammers will often use this highly desirable work situation as leverage to trick you into falling for a fraudulent offer.

How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of a Job Scam?

Although job scams are on the rise, there are practical steps you can take to protect yourself and increase your chances of applying to legitimate opportunities. Take these five precautionary measures: 

1. Trust your gut: If you sense something is off about the job offer, listen to that feeling and take extra steps to verify the credibility of the opportunity.
2. Research the company: Does the company have a website or a social media presence? Is it a public or private company? Are there employees who list this company as their employer on LinkedIn? Can you find the company’s contact information on their website, and does it match the job? These are all questions to ask when you are researching a potential job opportunity.
3. Confirm website security: When browsing the company’s online presence, ensure the authentication prefix https:// can be found at the beginning of the URL.
4. Keep personal information private: Only share personal information with the company when you are multiple steps into the interview process and after you have done significant research about the company. Sharing personal information is primarily done after you have an offer from a verifiable organization.
5. Check for complaints or poor reviews: It can be helpful to cross-reference your online research with the company’s reputation with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a non-profit organization that verifies the legitimacy of businesses in the United States and Canada.

What Should You Do if You Fall for a Scam?

Mistakes happen, and it’s important to know how to respond if you accidentally succumb to a job scam. First, help others by reporting the fraudulent company to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at http://www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to your state attorney general. You can learn more about job scams at http://www.ftc.gov/scams. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s crucial that you immediately stop all contact with the scammer, and do not proceed further with any instructions they have provided, including accepting a money transfer or cashing a check. If you have already accepted or lost money, or offered sensitive, personal information, contact your local police department.

How to Identify Legitimate Job Opportunities

Follow these steps to identify legitimate job opportunities for a more successful job search:

1. Verify your sources: Start with respected job sites like LinkedIn and Indeed.
2. Draw on your network: One of the most fruitful ways to secure a legitimate position is to build your network and to reach out to contacts who can refer you to a position at their company. Often, employees receive incentives for referring candidates and will know about positions before they are posted to the public.
3. Join LinkedIn groups: One helpful tool to grow your professional network is to join groups on LinkedIn, which often share relevant job opportunities in your field and publicize webinars and other resources.
4. Be curious: Make sure you, ask questions, and gather data. Information is power! If you have done your research, you can feel reassured that the opportunity is legitimate.

As a UAGC student or alum, you have lifelong access to UAGC Career Services. Contact the Career Services team to establish 1:1 meetings with career advisors, access to pre-screened job posts from reputable employers, and more. Email careerservices@uagc.edu or call 866-974-5700 ext. 20057 to speak to an expert today!