WIREDGOV

According to the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) more than one in three workers plan to change their job this year. Furthermore, 67% of job seekers start their job search online. In 2014 SAFERjobs, a non-profit joint law enforcement and industry organisation campaigning against UK job scams, received more than double the website traffic and triple the fraud reports relating to job scams. This year they expect to be even busier…

SAFER-jobs, working with Action Fraud and the Metropolitan Police, aim to warn those applying for jobs online of the risks involved. Fraudsters prey on both those actively seeking jobs, and those approached via social media for their next career move. This means it isn’t just job seekers who could be the next victim of a job scam!

Job application fraud has many guises and it’s difficult for people who are actively hunting for a job online to recognise when a job isn’t actually real and instead a means for criminals to defraud unsuspecting victims of their money.  Scams range from £50 for a police check to uncapped amounts in the thousands for employment services.

By reporting suspicious activity to SAFERjobs at www.safer-jobs.com job seekers get free expert advice, SAFERjobs collate data to inform up to date advice and communication, and SAFERjobs ensure every case is looked into.

Companies and organisations are victims too, as increasingly fraudsters impersonate real organisations to fool people into handing over money or personal information. SAFERjobs also advises companies, especially in the recruitment sector, on how to be more aware and informed of such criminal activity.

To avoid becoming a victim, please follow these tips:

1. Never Part with Money – employers should pay you, not the other way round. If asked to pay for security checks, visas, training, or anything else, research the job, the company, and never use any associated company suggested to you without conducting independent thorough research;
2. Never Take it on Face Value – have you received an ‘out of the blue’, ‘too good to be true’ job offer? Be sceptical and ask questions. Why and how have you been contacted, what is the job, did you apply? Be wary of any non-business, generic email address (such as hotmail and yahoo), poorly written job adverts or job descriptions, and emails or contact at unusual times of the day (unless pre-arranged).
3. Never Do Everything Online – whilst technology is a great enabler to help people find work, at some point your job discussion should lead to an interview or a meeting. Hiring agents who keep the relationship solely to email must be treated extremely cautiously.
4. Never Fail to do Research – find out about the company that the job is with and do your research! Check landline telephone numbers and call the end employer to check the job exists. Use social media and sources such as Companies House and LinkedIn to dig deeper into the organisations and people you are interacting with.
5. Never Phone them for an Interview – premium rate phone scams are common. This is where an individual calls a pay-for number thinking it’s an interview, when actually they are paying for every minute they stay on hold. If an employer wants you to work for them, they will call you.
6. Never Accept Money for Nothing – with money mule scams on the increase, beware of any employer promising ‘get rich quick’ or ‘earn thousands working from home’. When cheques begin arriving it is easy to be fooled into being used as a money mule.
7. Never Provide Personal Details – be suspicious of any requests for personal data ahead of an interview or registration meeting (if any agency). Until you have the job, keep bank details safe and only provide identity details once you have met face to face.

Notes to Editors:

*SAFER-jobs is the only non-profit joint law enforcement organisation in the UK, which focuses on growing problems of job scams and campaigns to tackle this issue.  For more information visit the SAFER-jobs website: www.safer-jobs.com