Grifters, fraudsters, scammers… whatever you prefer to call them, the online world has provided a new door for them to knock on. Although it may seem relatively new, popping up and being more prevalent in the last 10 years, scams have been around as long as people have been and while the channel they use may have changed, the tactics remain the same. They exploit vulnerable and sometimes desperate people and create emotional and financial damage for their financial profit.

You may be asking yourself why I’m bringing this up in a newsletter about careers. The reason is that I’ve had 2 calls in the last few weeks from people who have been approached on LinkedIn with fraudulent job offers. Unlike the numerous calls from poorly worded robotic voices warning you that there will be a warrant out for your arrest if you don’t buy thousands of dollars in Target gift cards, these scammers are patient, more sophisticated and very intelligent. Because they exist across multiple job search sites and often hide behind the banner of legitimate companies, employment scams are harder to spot. So how do you know if the job offer is legitimate and how you can protect yourself? Let’s get into it!

What employment scams exist?

Although there are subtle differences between the details and tactics employed, there are three main types of employment scams that exist on LinkedIn and other job boards.

Information theft

This can present itself in many ways, it can be as simple as:

1. Scraping all the resumes that are sent to a fake job post for names and contact information that can be sold to other scammers.
2. It can be very sophisticated and last for several days while the scammer builds enough trust to convince the “mark”, that’s you, to send banking and Social Insurance/Social Security information to a non-existent HR department so that they can set up your payroll account.

Payment fraud

Like information theft, this scam can be simple or complex. Unlike information theft, however, it is a little easier to spot. It can be presented in the following ways:

1. After applying for a job online, you are contacted by the “employer” telling you there is a small fee required for them to be able to process your application. This is most prevalent in jobs that are in other countries or work-from-home jobs.
2. After applying for a job online, you are contacted by the “employer” and go through an interview over the phone. After what seems to be a very legitimate process, you are hired and the scammers send you a cheque to begin your job. This cheque is to cover the equipment and supplies you will need to get started. Once they know you have the cheque and have deposited it into your bank account, they will tell you to send the money through a cash app to their supplier. Unfortunately, the original cheque they sent you is fraudulent and is rejected, leaving you with a much smaller bank account.

Extortion

This type of scam is a little different than the other two as it doesn’t involve a fake job posting. Instead what happens is the scammer will set up a fake LinkedIn profile and reach out to you on LinkedIn, they will often express how much they admire your accomplishments and initiate a conversation. After a bit of time, they’ll tell you they don’t spend much time on LinkedIn and ask you to contact them on WhatsApp or another messaging application. Once you’re on that platform they will try to initiate a romantic relationship with you and get you to send them compromising messages and photos. When they have enough, they’ll simply demand you pay them or they will send all of the information they’ve collected to your business network.

Who do they target?

The main targets of scams are:

1. Recent graduates because they are more trusting and haven’t been “screwed over” by an employer yet. Recent graduates are eager to get started in their careers and aren’t as familiar with the job interview and hiring process. Getting that first job after graduation isn’t always easy and when someone expresses the willingness to believe in them, they want to return that trust.
2. Anyone who appears to be over 40. Let’s be honest, ageism exists and when people lose their jobs over 40, it becomes much more difficult to find one. Just like the recent graduate, finding someone that recognizes your value after months of rejection, can be very enticing.
3. People returning to the workplace after an extended break. If you have been out of the job market for some time, you may not feel as familiar with the process. Spotting the abnormalities in the job posting or communication may not be as easy.
4. Busy executives. Executives tend to have a more limited social life due to the time they spend on their careers. They can feel lonely and are more susceptible to taking the conversation offline.
5. Anyone they think might be a good target. Just because you don’t fall into one of the previous four categories, it doesn’t mean you won’t be a target. Anyone can be a target if they drop their guard.

How do you recognize a scam?

To spot employment scams, you have to pay attention to the details:

1. Read the job posting very carefully. If it has grammatical and spelling errors in it, that’s a red flag. Scammers very rarely impersonate small businesses, they prefer to blend it and the bigger a company is, the less likely they will be caught. A good HR department would be horrified if a job posting wasn’t well written.
2. Look at the domain of any email address you’re told to send your application to or that you receive email from. If it’s not the same domain as the company website, be very suspicious. Although some companies prefer a separate domain for their email, checking domain ownership will help. If the email address is a Gmail account then it’s almost certainly a fraud.
3. Read the email on a laptop so that you can hover over apply here links to see what domain they come from and don’t click on these links. Instead, go to the company website and search for the job posting. For more information on how to spot a fake email, PowerDmarc has a guide that can help you.
4. If someone wants to take the conversation to a third-party messaging application, they’re not looking for the business relationship they claim to be.
5. If they send you money through a cheque for equipment or request that you send them money, it’s probably not a real job.
6. If they pressure you to accept or try to convince you to cancel other interviews, they may be trying to isolate you and create a stronger sense of urgency and desperation. The more desperate you are the more mistakes you’re prone to make.

How do you protect yourself?

1. Recognize that you may fall into one of the categories they target and be cautious when applying for a job.
2. Don’t put your phone number on any job sites, including LinkedIn.
3. Research the company you are applying to and search for the job you’re applying for on their company website. If you’re in doubt, contact the company through their website and ask the HR department if the job that is posted is open.
4. Ask them questions about the job and about the area they are working out of. Sometimes just asking how the weather is where they are, can make them stumble.
5. Never give your financial information to anyone until you have verified the job is legitimate. HR departments need it to pay you and file taxes on your behalf but they will never demand it before your first day of work.
6. Never pay a company to apply for a job. Legitimate companies don’t do that.
7. Meet face to face or on a video conferencing application, you can record. Scammers don’t like to show their faces.
8. Recognize the tactics scammers use.

• They will try to create a sense of urgency around your response.
• They will try to isolate you by getting you to cancel all interviews and activities for the next few days to dedicate to them.
• They will try to pressure you and tell you how well you will be treated. They’ll make promises of high salaries and limited intervention on their part.
• They will try to make you feel wanted and needed.

Final Thoughts.

If you think you may have come across a fake job posting or fake profile, report it. LinkedIn and other Job boards take things like this very seriously and will investigate. If you’re worried or have any concerns when sending out a resume, talk to someone you trust and show them the posting. Sometimes a second opinion can help you see things more clearly.

Hopefully, the information I’ve given you today will make you aware of the employment scams that exist and help you spot them. If you want to know more about protecting yourself when applying for a job or just need career advice in general, feel free to reach out to me.