Jobseekers can be the target of fraud. Especially at the moment when there are many people looking for jobs and recruitment now happening entirely virtually. So we wanted to give you a quick reminder of our top tips to avoid falling foul of fraudulent job adverts.
What is job fraud?
As the name suggests, job fraud usually involves a fake job advert. Fraudsters have been known to upload fake job adverts to job listing sites which require applicants to spend money on checks or call premium rate phone numbers for interviews. They may also try to collect personal details to attempt identify fraud.
In the Careers Service we occasionally get targeted by these kinds of jobs. We have had individuals attempt to register as legitimate companies with a slightly different and misspelt email to advertise fake jobs. Because we do detailed checks of every organisation attempting to register on MyFuture – we can spot fraudsters so you can trust that jobs on our site are legitimate. If you do see something that doesn’t seem quite right though, do let us know.
Avoiding job fraud
You might be looking for jobs beyond MyFuture – which is fine! in fact we recommend it - we can’t advertise every single job on our jobs, so searching in different places is a good idea. If you are using other job boards or agencies though, it’s important to keep some basic principles in mind when considering a job advert or applying to a job.
- You shouldn’t be asked to pay money to apply or for checks. Recruitment Agencies should also not charge you fees to find you work. There might be some exceptions in some roles – e.g. a teaching abroad position where a fee covers visa expenses. But generally you shouldn’t have to pay for the privilege of applying
- Be wary of applications that ask for lots of unnecessary personal details upon application – National Insurance Number, driving license or bank account details etc. Of course you might need to give some of these if you get the job – but they shouldn’t be needed at the applicant stage
- Be wary of a lack of contact information. Does the employer have a website? Is there a named contact or contact details of someone you can speak to? If you are applying for a job you should be researching an employer to tailor your application anyway, but this research can also be a check for legitimacy.
- If it sounds too good to be true – it might well be! If a job has incomplete or inaccurate information, or you are offered a job with a very high salary without an interview – be careful!
You can find out more about keeping safe when applying for jobs on Safer Jobs
We also have information on how to use recruitment agencies
And of course, if you are every concerned about a particular job – do contact us and we can help.
Final thought
Sadly job fraud is something that people continue to fall victim to. However, by following our top tips we hope you’ll be able to recognise when a vacancy doesn’t seem quite right.
Remember if you see a job advert that you are not sure about – talk to us before you apply.
Find out more about searching for work on MyFuture
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