According to the Better Business Bureau, 14 million people are caught up in employment scams every year, and people who are unfamiliar with job scams are most likely to lose money to them. In 2020 alone, BBB reports that fraudsters cost victims an estimated $2 billion.

These take advantage of job seekers in a variety of ways. 

 

Some scammers collect confidential information to use for identity theft, to get people to cash fraudulent checks or to wire or send money, and to get you to pay for training or documents.

Here are some of the ways you can identify if it's a job scam.

 

A recruiter might call you up and mention that they found your resume online and that you are a perfect fit for this position,while you believe you are lucky for having been selected, it's important to hear them out on the job offer and requirements to ensure that they match your credentials but also do your research before you go on to accept or reject the opportunity.

 

An authentic job opportunity does not require candidates to pay before they get the job and do not require account information that includes account pin numbers.

This is primarily because as job seekers, they might not even have the finances set aside for job applications on top of going in for interviews.

The company only asks for personal information like your account details, or driver's license number once you have been hired together with a TIN (Tax Identification Number) to effect salary payments.

It’s important to note that while most companies require documentation to support your stated information in the resume,you are not required to pay for any documents and if that must happen for documents like an Interpol letter(Letter of conduct),payments should be made in the bank under the account names of the company that issues the documents required with a particular amount of money stated by that company.

 

No money should be paid to an individual to process such documents for example in a scenario like this.

 

Scam job descriptions or adverts might often include non professional language selling their opportunities to a wide range of candidates as they would like to draw quick attention to these job scams. 

 

The language they use might often include words like; ”Quick money” instead of a competitive salary

However it's important to verify the information provided as you go ahead to apply for the role.

 

It's always possible for companies to allocate big budgets towards providing competitive salaries for their employees,however it's also important to understand that the size of the company and what it does is a major factor in this case.

 

Ask for proper details with regards to compensation whether this is gross or net pay or if it includes taxes and other incentives like lunch and transport.

 

At times it's possible to have a company seeking to hire with immediate effect however sometimes this raises questions when the company shows dire urgency for the candidate skipping major steps in recruitment like interviews and due diligence.

 

Endeavour to carry out sufficient research and tread lightly as you engage with the people connecting you to the job as  the proper process to hire takes time, and professional businesses want to hire the right people.

Often when the company is hiring, the communication will be clear and timely with details of the date, the time and the venue of the interview and often this communication will be sent through via email from the Human Resources Manager who is likely to follow up with a phone call.

 

On the other hand if the communication is made by different people and there is no written invitation for this interview, then there is a need to be skeptical about the job and contact the very company to confirm the information given.