Imagine ... you come across a highly lucrative job ad online. You feel excited to apply for it but at the same time you feel that it all sounds a bit too good to be true. You do everything that they ask you to do. Few days later you realise it was a scam. How would you feel?
Bear in mind, there are lots of fake job ads out there and scammers who try to get your financial or/and personal information. Fraudsters sometimes pose as recruitment agencies for jobs that don’t exist. Don’t become a victim of a job scam, educate yourself and be alert! Here some tips on what to look out for:
· A real job will never ask you to pay money or share your bank details! This can be presented to you as an administration fee, accreditation fee or security fee.
· Mistakes (spelling, grammar etc.) throughout the communication process
· Too vague job description
· Contact details come from generic email providers, such as hotmail, gmail, yahoo and not from a real corporate email address.
· You will be asked to click on certain attachments or links.
· They offer you the job on the spot with no interview.
· You are being promised a high salary straight away.
· You are asked to share personal information that is irrelevant to the job.
If, however, you still fell victim to fraudsters, then take the following steps:
1) Take a screenshot or note of the scammer’s details and report them (Action Fraud).
2) If you have paid any money, contact your bank immediately and inform them.
3) Let the operators of the social media site or website (through which you were contacted) know that their website is being used by fraudsters.
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