Avoiding Fraudulent Job Postings

How to avoid fraudulent postingsScammers often post fraudulent job postings to job search sites when, in reality, these jobs do not exist. Warning signs of fraudulent job postings include:

  • requiring you to pay a fee
  • requiring you to provide a photo
  • including several spelling and grammatical errors in the posting
  • asking for financial information, such as a credit card or bank account number
  • using an email address that does not match the domain used by the company
  • using contact information that is not attached to a business
  • offering you a job almost immediately after an online chat interview
  • contacting you immediately after receiving your resume, other than typical email auto-responses
  • displaying a website that does not contain any information other than the job it is advertising
  • claiming that a federal government job is “previously undisclosed” by the government

Job placement services are sometimes used for scams as well. Exercise caution if a service avoids your questions, does not allow you adequate time to read your contract, or will not provide information in writing. You can also contact a company that is being advertised as hiring through a particular service to find out if it is true.

You can report job scams by contacting the Federal Trade Commission as well as the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice if the scam occurred entirely online. You should also contact local police (even if the scam is based in a different area than where you live); you should contact your financial institution if you have given banking or other financial information to someone you believe is a scammer.

Now that you know how to avoid fraudulent job postings, see our Job Hunting Strategies for information and tips to help you succeed when searching for a job.

 

Sources:

Federal Trade Commission. (2013, October). Job scams. Retrieved from

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0243-job-scams

University of Southern California Career Center. (n.d.) Avoid fraudulent job postings. Retrieved from https://careers.usc.edu/students/find-a-job/avoid-fraudulent-job-postings/