Scammers go to great lengths to deceive unsuspecting jobseekers. They do that because it’s worth it for them: the more legitimate their ruse seems, the more easily they can net a victim.
These days, it’s more important than ever to be on the lookout for scams while jobhunting. This era of remote work may have improved the working lives of many of us, but, unfortunately, that includes the scammers as well, who can blend in more easily in the online world.
So for any jobhunters out there anxious to steer a safe path through all the cheats, frauds and swindlers, here are ten red flags to look out for to ensure that the only thing that gets taken to the cleaners are those snazzy interview clothes of yours.
1. It falls into your lap
Okay, let’s start with an easy one. If you log in to your email account one morning and are greeted by a congratulatory letter welcoming you to a company you never applied to, you shouldn’t be in any hurry to break open the champagne. Scammers operating in this way rely on a numbers game: they know it’s only a matter of time before their counterfeit mail reaches someone that has applied for a position at the company they’re masquerading as. If you’re one of those applicants, make sure the address of the email you’ve been sent matches that of the real company.
2. It sounds as if it’s been written by Yoda
Usually, though not always, the bigwigs of the recruitment world have got where they are by having at least a reasonable command of the language they’re writing in. Therefore, any email you receive that’s peppered with spelling or grammar blunders might not even be worth trying to decipher, except for purposes of entertainment, of course.
3. The email’s from a personal account
Another clue as to the legitimacy of a company is the means by which your correspondence is sent to you. Most established companies have an official email address, so anything sent from a Gmail or Yahoo account should set at least a few alarm bells tinkling.
4. The website looks dodgy
If you’re directed to a well-known company’s website, examine the URL in your browser’s address bar before you go any further. URLs that look unusually long or cluttered should make you think twice about visiting the website. But be warned: the difference between a bogus website address and the genuine article may only be in the extension (an ‘org’ instead of a ‘com’ or vice versa, for example). With unknown companies, it can be much harder to spot a fake. Made-up facts, stock photos and AI-generated text can all be used to put up a convincing shopfront. Should you have any doubts, look the company up on LinkedIn. If they seem well established with a sizeable workforce listed under the ‘People’ section of their LinkedIn page, it may put your mind at rest.
5. It’s all a bit vague
Scammers like to cast their net wide to increase the size of their catch, so they often generalise their job descriptions. If you’ve been jobhunting for a while, you should get a feel for the type of details that the average employer in your field normally includes in their job ads. The more that’s left out, the more wary you should be.
6. They talk in negatives
Put simply, if a company spends all of their time telling you what the job doesn’t involve and not what it does, you can be fairly confident you’re being sold something – if not some product, then a false promise.
7. They ask for your personal details
While it’s perfectly normal to pass on your bank details to any new employer that requests them, you shouldn’t have to part with any sensitive information when you’re still at the recruitment stage. Unless you’ve signed a job contract and feel certain that the company employing you is the real deal, keep any private info to yourself.
8. They want to WhatsApp you
There was a time when most interviews were conducted in person, which was a good opportunity for the interviewee to assess the company they had applied to and, more importantly, find out whether the place actually existed. Now, in the remote-work age, online interviews are commonplace, making it trickier to know if you’re being taken for a ride. As a rule of thumb, employers favour Zoom, Teams and Google Meet for any online interviews, so tread carefully if another platform is suggested for your interview.
9. They ask you for money
We don’t tend to pay our employers; they pay us. It’s worth bearing that in mind if just a ‘nominal fee’ stands between you and what sounds like the perfect job and you’re tempted to get out your credit card, since it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of the moment, which is all part of the scam, of course. Unless there’s a good reason for being asked for money (you’ve opted for a special spot in the office cark park and are being charged accordingly, for example), you would be wise to limit your job search to companies without such financial requirements.
10. It sounds good, but just too good
More often than not, scammers use the stick, not the carrot. They want to lure you in with promises of a better life, be it a higher salary, a lighter workload, improved working conditions or the kind of company benefits that could sweep the board. It’s human nature for us to want to believe it all, in the same way we entertain the idea of being the next big lottery winner (isn’t there a part of us that hopes our ship will one day come in?). And while people all over the world can and do land their dream job, it’s worth remembering that old adage: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
For help with finding remote work, see our article ‘Get That Work-from-Home Job’.
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