In this current market, job seekers are doing nearly everything they can in hopes of landing a new role. Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of the increased need for employment by perfecting their fraud tactics on applicants. Marketplace recently shared a story about a scammer spoofing the name and email address of a company’s HR manager when approaching victims about a job opportunity. The message sent to the victims mentioned a job that is posted on the actual company’s website which made the scam even more believable. NBC News also reported that scammers are using job sites like LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter to create fake job postings to lure victims into sharing sensitive information.

With technology constantly evolving, it’s becoming easier for victims to be duped by these threat actors. Let’s review some tips on how to avoid being scammed when on the job hunt.

Verify the email address. If you receive an email about a job from a company or a recruiter, verify the email address. If the email address does not match the company’s domain name or is off by a few letters, it may be a scam.

Perform a quick online search. If you’re unsure of the validity of a job posting, the FTC recommends searching the name of the company or the recruiter and include words like “scam,” “complaint” or “review.” Although this won’t guarantee the job posting is valid, it can help weed out any potential scams.

Don’t fall for job postings that promote big earnings with little effort. If you see a job posting, or receive an email or text message offering a high salary with a low amount of work hours and zero experience needed, it’s likely a scam. Legitimate companies won’t pay large amounts of money for a job that requires very little work.

Do not provide sensitive information or “pay for the job.” If a company or a recruiter requests sensitive information before a formal offer is made, such as your Social Security Number or banking information, do not comply. Additionally, if a company asks you to pay for anything prior to starting a job (paying to get the job, paying for computer equipment, etc.), this is a scam. Honest employers will never ask you for money.

Think twice before joining a conversation via WhatsApp or text message. Watch out if a recruiter wants to “take the conversation elsewhere.” Scammers are known to start conversations via direct message or email and will ask for an applicant’s phone number or WhatsApp username to discuss the fake opportunity further.

It’s important to stay vigilant, as fraudsters are only getting better at deceiving innocent victims, especially those who are under financial pressure. For more information on how to guard against scams, visit sdccu.com/scams.

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