How Do You Identify a Job Scam
Did you know that job scam cases in Singapore have multiplied by more than 30 times from 132 cases in 2020 to over 4000 cases in 2021? With such a huge increase in the number of cases, the monetary amounts cheated also skyrocketed to SGD91 million in 2021, up from SGD217,000 in the previous year.?
When the pandemic struck, many people lost their jobs and more job seekers fell victim to job scams. Job scammers leveraged on the desperation of job seekers to succeed. Grabbing any employment opportunity that was available was likely to be the main priority for some job seekers.
In order to prevent falling into a job scam, here are a few warning signs that you can look out for to protect yourself during your job search:
When it is Too Good to be True
When it is too good to be true, it probably is. If you ever come across a job posting that offers a remuneration that is way higher than usual, or you are offered a position without any verification of your education or experience, something is probably wrong.?
It is important to know the market rates for the jobs that you are looking for so that you have a rough gauge of the expected salary. Also, you may want to use job sites that are more credible with privacy policies and verified employers to have a safe job search experience.
It is best to remain objective and analyse whether the information on the job posting seems credible before applying for one that might be a scam.?
Little or no information on Job
A proper job posting will list down detailed job requirements or responsibilities to ensure that they attract the ideal applicants to apply. Unclear job descriptions or job requirements in a job posting may be warning signs for a job scam. These postings may have extremely short or vague job descriptions.
Most legitimate job postings should also include contact information of the recruiter, in the form of a contact number or an email. More modes of contact enables you to enquire more about the job before applying for it.
This is a guideline of basic information that should be present in a job posting:
To be extra safe, you can also check with reliable sources such as friends or family who are working in the same industry. Alternatively, you can also head online to read about the reviews about working culture or experiences from existing or previous workers. If there is little or no information about the company, this might be a warning sign that the company is not legitimate.
Unprofessional Emails
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Spelling, grammatical, capitalisation, and punctuation errors are some of the most striking signs of a job scam. It does happen when messages have one or two small errors. However, if it contains many glaring errors and does not seem professional, it is best to stay on your guard and be cautious.
Another sign that a posting might be related to a job scam is when the contact email is a personal one instead of one that includes the primary domain of the organisation. Similarly, the omission of company contact information such as address, email, and contact number is also not usual and it is best to be extra careful about those postings.
Real companies usually hire professional recruiters who can write well. After all, a job posting is usually the first encounter one has with a company. As such, most companies would strive to ensure proper sentence structures and good English to leave a good impression.
Confidential Information Required
It is unusual for recruiters to ask for your bank account information in the early stages of the interview process. Collection of credit card information is also unusual in normal recruitment processes. Most of the time, the collection of bank account information only occurs when you have secured your employment or are going through your orientation with the company.
While it is a common practice to include your address and phone number in your resumes, you are still encouraged to be wary about which companies you are sending your resume to.?
In some cases, companies do ask for your identification card or passport to conduct background checks. The key, again, is the timing when the recruiter asks for them. Usually, recruiters will only ask for sensitive information after they have offered you a position in the company.?
Involves Purchasing Something or Sending Money?
Legitimate companies seldom ask you for money. It may sound believable that you have to pay for training, equipment, or softwares in order to prepare yourself for the job, but that does not usually happen. Other requests to pay for your resume to be reviewed or send money to an anonymous account even before you start work are also red flags.?
Anything that involves purchasing something or sending money even before you secure the job is likely to be part of a job scam. From scams that require you to pay for reshipping, to asking job seekers to pay for a government position, scammers are getting way more creative than before.?
The best way to prevent this is to look for jobs using safe and trusted platforms so that you do not have to worry about potential job scams.
Often, if your gut says that what you are seeing is likely to be a scam, trust your intuition. Pay close attention to the details and never pressure yourself to rush into a commitment that you are unsure of. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.?
If you are looking for more work-related tips or new work opportunities, visit www.jobspivot.com.sg.