As if being out of work isn’t stressful enough, there are some absolutely humdinger scams out there waiting to entrap you.
“This seems sketchy,” my older son said. He’s currently looking for an IT Help Desk role, and one of the companies he applied to via LinkedIn wanted his credit score. After he applied, they sent him an email asking him to get his credit score through a particular website, with a specific link, at a cost of one dollar… all before the initial interview.
This had some of the classic scam hallmarks:
- Urgency – “Complete this first step ASAP as we only have 48 hours to set up interviews.”
- Vague promises – “Your background would be a good match with our company.”
- Sloppy language – “Only seven other application [sic] we are considering,” and the message came from “Hiring Manager”.
And the crux of the issue with this one…
- Requests for personal or financial information upfront.
I talked with Helen Krissilas, managing partner at the Krissilas Group, a well-known recruiting expert, who confirmed our suspicions. “Credit checks and background checks are completed after an offer is made.”
She pointed out that scammers can operate even without hacking legitimate LinkedIn profiles. All someone has to do is create a new company profile and a free job post – and sometimes, the differences between real and fake company names are as subtle as a comma or a dash.
Sure enough, when we looked closely, the real company was a “Corp”, and the send-us-your-credit-score version was a “Group”. Score one for the kid’s “spidey-sense”– it was indeed a scam to get his financial details and a quick buck.
And while we were investigating, suddenly, the job listing disappeared, along with the bogus company. The real company didn’t have any IT roles listed. With a quick search, we noticed yet another company with a similar-enough-sounding name seemed to have popped up like a mushroom overnight.
Lesson learned: check for look-alike company names and follow your instincts. If it feels fishy, pass.
Other job scams
There are a wide variety of scams out there for job seekers. Here are just a few intended to trap the gullible:
- You get the job and buy the equipment –often from a specific vendor – but the expense check bounces. In the end, the cost comes out of your bank account.
- Oops! We overpaid your signing bonus. Can we get the difference back? (Again, the original check bounces.)
- Fill in all these forms, new employee! Afterward, you discover the job is bogus and someone has access to ALL your financial and personal information.
Business owner concerns
As a business owner, do you need to worry about job-related scams? Of course. You never want your company’s name associated with any kind of scam. Keep your eyes open for the first sign of trouble.
Pay attention to who is looking at your personal LinkedIn profile and your company page. Are there lookalikes and near-misses that could be trying to impersonate you?
Are you suddenly getting an influx of job seekers who seem to think you have an opening? Ask where they saw this information and report it to the site.
And consider posting on your website’s career page to forewarn potential scam victims. If you are not currently hiring, make that clear. If you are, be clear about the open positions, your hiring process and how you would communicate with potential candidates.
Read up on another scam popping up in our emails: the “perfect” speaking engagement.
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