Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning the public to be wary of employment scams while they search for jobs online. Scammers have been enticing jobseekers with easy, work-from-home job offers that come with sizable salaries.
“Opportunities for extra income become very attractive, especially when the job requirements listed are very minimal, do not require you to leave home, and the entire package comes across as a way to make easy money,” says Karla Davis, Manager for Community and Public Relations at BBB serving Mainland B.C..
The job traps are likely to catch vulnerable groups like ex-convicts, new immigrants, seniors, single parents, and students: people who may have difficulty finding employment, or are in a situation where they cannot afford to lose money. People who are underemployed, are sole breadwinners seeking extra money to make ends meet, or people seeking jobs with great flexibility because they have children should also be careful. They may end up losing a significant amount of money by falling victim to an overpayment scam or unwittingly aiding money laundering.
The overpayment scam works when an “employer” sends you payment with a counterfeit cashier’s, personal, or corporate cheque for an amount in excess of the agreed salary. The employer may give you a seemingly legitimate reason for the excess funds, or simply say it was sent in error. They will ask you to deposit the cheque and return the excess funds immediately or send it to a third party account. When your bank discovers the cheque you deposited is fraudulent, you will be left with all the costs.
Jobseekers who use popular sites like Indeed and Monster should also exercise caution when creating job profiles to attract recruiters, as scammers and fraudsters are lurking on these platforms as well. Many job sites offer features that allow you to upload and post your resume on the platform so that recruiters can easily search for potential candidates. However, scammers and fraudsters have been known to pose as recruiters, offering phony jobs or simply scouring for information in resumes and on dormant jobseeker profiles.
“Resumes contain enough information to identify a person,” Davis explains. “A typical resume includes your name, address, email, and telephone number, and also outlines an individual’s employment history.” If that wealth of information gets into the wrong hands, you could be exposed to identity theft, which is when an imposter uses your personal information to apply for a credit card or loan, make unauthorized purchases, or gain access to your bank account.
While job sites like Indeed have been responsive to BBB alerts about phony recruiter profiles, BBB believes that more can be done to protect jobseekers using the various sites, including more detailed and frequent reviews of existing accounts; stricter registration requirements for recruiters; and withholding some information on jobseeker profiles, which would also indirectly promote unbiased selection of candidates.
BBB has the following tips for jobseekers:
1) Never include your SIN on your resume: In most cases, you will be required to share your SIN with your new employer. However, only do so after you have verified that the job offer and company are legitimate. Check with BBB to authenticate the company.
2) Be wary of certain job titles: Scammers have been known to use work-from-home jobs, secret shopper positions, or any job with a generic title such as caregiver, administrative assistant, customer service representative, or positions that do not require special training or licensing.
3) Consult the company’s website directly: Check the website for the recruiting company to confirm if the vacancy is legitimate.
4) Look for red flags in the job description: Avoid job offers that require you to purchase bitcoin; perform tasks anonymously; use your own account to process transactions; or receive cheques valuing more than the agreed salary.
5) Watch the recruitment process: Be wary of on-the-spot job offers, offers made without an interview, and interviews done on instant messaging platforms.
6) Delete your resume when you have completed your job search: Do not leave your personal information for others to see and possibly access. Scammers like to use dormant accounts.
If you are a victim of a scam, report it to BBB by visiting www.bbb.org and using Scam Tracker (http://bit.ly/2EbzuxB).
editorial@accjournal.ca
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