Recruitment Fraud
Recruitment fraud has unfortunately become too common in today’s job market. Scammers take advantage of individuals' desperation to find work by creating phony job positions or postings that lead them into disclosing personal information, transferring money and believing they have a job.What is Recruitment Fraud?
Recruitment fraud is a complex scam in which job seekers are offered fictitious job opportunities. This type of fraud is typically carried out using online services such as fake websites or forged emails posing as official correspondence from an organization. These scammers frequently ask for recipients to disclose personal information or make payments as part of their fraudulent recruiting process.
How to Spot the Signs
Scammers will often ask recipients to complete fake recruitment documents, such as job applications. It is important to look for these key warning signs:
Asking for Money
- Do not send money to a potential employer. Legitimate employers and hiring managers don’t require an application fee or expect you to pay for training.
- Sensitive information (like your SSN, date of birth or bank account information) are not collected during the early phase of the recruitment process. Your company will eventually require this information for tax and benefit enrollment at some point, but only after you've received a written job offer, and sometimes not until your first day on the job.
- You'll probably think twice before responding to an email from a company you've never heard of that contains grammatical errors. However, not all scams are obvious. Scammers are skilled at creating convincing correspondence, even adopting the name and logo of a well-known company without permission.
- An address from a real representative usually includes the company’s domain name. For example, [[email protected]] is most likely a Premier Bank employee, but [[email protected]] is fraudulent.
- As technology advances, fraudulent activity increases, and some recruitment scams have moved to SMS or online chats. Do your research before clicking on a link or accepting an invitation.
- It's fantastic to get contacted within an hour of applying by a company that doesn't demand an interview or checks your references. However, if something appears to be too good to be true, it most likely is. Genuine recruiters strive to establish a relationship in which both parties learn about each other and consider the prospect of working together.
… And believe your instincts! If you have a nagging suspicion that something about the job isn't quite right, you're usually correct. To avoid being a victim of a scam trust your gut and do your homework.
How Businesses Can Protect Themselves from Recruitment Fraud
it is not your fault if your business has fallen victim to recruitment fraud. However, it is still your brand. So, what can you do to limit the harm and safeguard your company in the future?
- Search for fraudulent job ads under your company's name on popular networking sites and places where your company advertises job openings.
- Ensure that your recruiters are conducting communication with potential candidates through company accounts only.
- Do not use no instant messaging services for interviews.
- Do not promise employment without thorough candidate vetting.
- On your career site, include a statement acknowledging and addressing recruitment fraud. Your statement can be a standalone page or a section of one of your career site's most popular pages, such as the main page or job descriptions.