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In an ideal world, you’re searching for a job from an existing position to upgrade your salary and move on to more fulfilling work. But it’s more common to look for a new job because you, well, need one.
And needing something is exactly when you’re most vulnerable to scammers. Particularly when you’ve been job hunting for a long time, it’s all too tempting to believe a recruiter who reaches out with an unbelievable offer. But recruitment scams are on the rise. Business and job opportunities are in the top 10 most common scams reported to the FTC.
So on top of everything else that needs to be top of mind when looking for a new job, it’s important to be mindful of these scams. To make the process a bit easier, we’ll break it down for you.
What Is a Recruitment Scam?
Recruitment scams are an increasingly popular way for fraudsters to gain access to your personal information and even to steal from you. In fact, over the past several years, there have been almost 300,000 reports of employment scams in the US — with financial losses totaling $737 million.
These scams start with a text, email, phone call, or even a LinkedIn message. The scammer poses as a recruiter working for a legitimate-seeming agency or claiming to be recruiting for a well-known company.
Like a real recruiter, they’ll tell you that your qualifications or skill set match what they’re looking for. They may even share an in-depth job briefing and set up an interview over the phone or on Zoom. Sometimes, the interview is extremely convincing…and an offer letter follows.
The intention is to get access to your details for identity theft when they send you start paperwork. Alternatively, some recruitment scams will tell you that a particular training, certification, or set of supplies is necessary to proceed with the process.
When you pay for these things, the recruiter vanishes because they’ve gotten what they wanted: your money.
How Do You Spot a Scam Agency or Job Offer?
Like most internet scams, fake recruiters or recruitment agencies can be seriously hard to spot. After all, it’s not unusual for an actual recruiter to find you on LinkedIn and shoot you a message to get an idea of your interest and skill set.
Plus, these scammers are preying on your hope for the future and your basic survival needs. It’s hard to look past your desire to move up in your career or make a better salary when you’re out of work to closely analyze a recruiter’s messages for veracity.
These are some of the biggest red flags when it comes to fake recruitment agencies and scam recruiters.
- The offer is too good to be true. We’d all love to receive a job offer that only requires us to work two days a week and triples our salary. Realistically, this isn’t likely to happen. If a recruiter reaches out to you with an offer that makes your eyes pop out of your head, pop them back in and do some due diligence.
- The application asks for unusual personal information. Most of us have filled out job applications and started paperwork before. If, at any point in this process, you notice some unusual questions or weirdly personal requests, stop immediately. If you’re applying for or filling out the paperwork for your first job and aren’t sure what’s normal, check with a trusted friend or relative if your gut says something is off.
- You have to pay for training or supplies upfront. If a recruitment agency wants you to pay for some kind of training or certification upfront, do not pass go and do not give them $200. Unless this is a common practice you’re well aware of, it’s probably an attempt to get your money and leave you high and dry.
- The job or company details are vague. So, the offer sounds great, the process seems clear, and you’re feeling optimistic. But no matter how many times you press your recruiter for specific company details and more in-depth information about the role, they avoid answering due to so-called privacy concerns.
- The job listing is riddled with errors. If the job listing looks like nobody has proofread it, it’s likely that, well…nobody has proofread it. A legitimate company will have multiple people checking and verifying job listings before they go live, so this is a pretty big indication you’re dealing with a scam.
- You can’t verify the recruiter’s connection to their supposed agency. If you’ve been speaking to the recruiter directly but can’t verify that they actually work for the real agency they claim to, it’s another big, flaming red flag.
- The recruiter communicates over a non-professional platform. Sure, real recruiters may contact you over LinkedIn or even social media, depending on your profession. If you’re referred by a friend, they may even text or WhatsApp you. But if you can’t provide a legitimate reason for a recruiter to be scheduling interviews with you via text or sending you employment documents on Facebook Messenger…there isn’t one.
The last big sign that you’re dealing with a scam is that you don’t recognize — or can’t independently verify — the agency. To shortcut hours of research while crossing your fingers that the unbelievable offer in your inbox is legit, we’ve made a list of some verified scam agencies to avoid.
Known Fake Recruitment Agencies
This is an incomplete list of known scam recruitment agencies, but you should still be vigilant. It’s all too easy to set up a domain and even a website to try and appear legitimate, so there are many more fake agencies out there.
- Ark Solutions, Inc.
- Bluestone Staffing
- Enterprise Solution, Inc.
- Han Staffing
- KRG Tech
- Softpath
- US Tech Solutions, Inc.
- Vertigo Consulting
- Net 2 Source
- Ramy Info Tech
- B Computing
- Accion Labs
- Alois Staffing
- Panasia Group
- Tech Rakers
It’s also important to look out for recruitment agencies that are one letter off of a legitimate company, or else have a slightly altered email address. For instance, Randstad is a real recruiting agency. A scammer might use an email address that leaves one letter out — like @radstad.com — so that at first glance, it looks real.
So, How Do You Stay Safe During Your Job Hunt?
Job hunting is stressful. It’s draining. The last thing you need is another part of the process to worry about. While we can’t totally alleviate that, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself from recruitment or employment scams — on top of looking out for the red flags we’ve mentioned.
Don’t Hesitate To Ask Questions
If a recruiter is being vague, press them. If you’re not clear on the role or its requirements, ask. If something feels off to you, be honest with your recruiter. If you’re worried they don’t really work for the agency or company they say, ask for another contact to verify.
The more questions you ask, the better sense you’ll get as to whether or not the person you’re dealing with is legitimate. If they’re a real recruitment agency, they’ll appreciate your directness.
Always Do Your Due Diligence
Even if a recruitment agency or job listing seems legitimate, double-checking doesn’t hurt. If you’re looking at a legit offer, it won’t take more than a few minutes to verify that, and you can move forward with confidence.
If it isn’t a real recruitment agency, you’ll be glad you spent a few minutes following up on the information and details you’ve been provided.
Be Sparing With Personal Information
Something as simple as being careless with your phone number exposes you to recruitment scammers. That’s where our app comes in handy. Set up a custom phone number for general non-personal use — like when you’re signing up for a new account or turning on alerts for a website or app.
Then, use your real number or a second Burner phone number for job applications only. If a recruiter contacts you on the wrong number, you know where they got it, and can quickly block and ignore.
Be the Job Hunter, Not the Hunted
We get it. There are so many things that go into job hunting. You’re filling out dozens of applications, writing tons of cover letters, revising your resume endlessly, and constantly fielding phone calls from HR people who couldn’t seem less interested in you or what you do.
By looking out for the major red flags and protecting your personal information, you can minimize your risk of falling victim to a recruitment scam.
Job hunting is hard. Don’t make it harder. Try Burner today.
Sources:
The Big View: All Sentinel Reports | Federal Trade Commission
How To Know If a Recruiter Is Legit: 7 Recruitment Scam Red Flags | Aura
$737M Lost To Fake Job Offers in the US Since 2019 | Surfshark
