Written by Kalli 

 

Imagine getting an unsolicited email from your dream company telling you that they want you on their team. You’d be a perfect fit! All they need to confirm your hire is your social security number and bank account information… Okay, maybe it’s too good to be true. Job scams have become a prevalent issue in society, especially as scam emails become more and more realistic. Here are a few tips to avoid job scams. 

Fake recruiters often use emails without company domains. An example would be having google.com or yahoo.com instead of companyname.com. However, some small businesses may not have a company domain and some emails from “official” emails could actually be coming from compromised accounts attempting to phish you. So how else could you tell them apart? 

Legitimate recruiters will NOT make you pay them gift cards to get the job, nor will they ask you for money for “equipment.” Even if they give you a check in exchange for giving them money upfront, chances are it will bounce and you will have given them the money in return for nothing. Legit recruiters will not ask you for bank account information to “set up direct deposit” before you meet them. Until you can confirm the job’s site, existence, and existing employees, it is not recommended you share personal information. Things like social security numbers, identification numbers, and bank account information can be used by scammers to commit fraud. 

When in doubt, contact the company. If the company you are trying to apply to has an official website, contact the email or phone number listed there. You can inquire about the job offer or ask them to confirm the legitimacy of the posting. 

 

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/12/how-spot-latest-job-scams