With so many people looking for work and companies asking
employees to come back to the office, it's no surprise that scammers are trying
to trick job seekers with fake remote job offers. But how can you tell if a job
offer is real or a scam?
I believe there's a special place in hell for people who prey on job seekers and make their lives even harder by stealing their personal information and money. So here are some tips to help you avoid getting scammed, or at least limit the chances of it happening.
Before I share more, let me tell you about a scam that's
using my name to try to fool job seekers. This will give you a better idea of
how these scammers operate.
How My Name Became Part of a Scam
Before we dive into the warning signs of online job scams, I
want to share a personal story that happened to me - and could happen to
anyone. Several job seekers reached out to ask if I was really hiring for a
Remote Product Designer role at certain company. The truth is, I wasn't.
Scammers had stolen my name and pretended to be me working
for that company. Most likely, they collect personal information from applicants or
scam them out of money. I still do not know why they use someone like me with a
unique name instead of someone with a more common name who would be harder to
reach.
But maybe I just made someone unhappy, and they're trying to get back at me in a weird way. Scammers can use anyone's identity to lend false credibility to their schemes!
So what can you do if you discover scammers using your name
or a company's brand in a fake job ad? Honestly, not a ton, since they can
easily move on to using other names.
Here are a few steps I recommend:
- If the scammers are using a specific domain name, look up who registered it on Who.is.
- Inform the company being impersonated.
- If you have technical skills, find out where the scam website is hosted or what DNS they are using, and report it to those providers as well, this will interrupt their communication.
- You can also check what email servers the scammers are using via tools like Mxtoolbox and report abuse.
- If candidates impacted by this scam message you and ask you if you're actually hiring, ask them for a screenshot or any material those scammers are sharing with them. This can give you some insight into how they communicate, and you can then take action and report them on Discord, Teams, and other platforms.
- If you're active on social media, consider sharing a post about the scam to educate your network and warn other job seekers (My LinkedIn post).
- If it’s serious, definitely let the police know too.
While we can't prevent scammers from misusing names and
logos, we can get savvier about spotting fakes. In the rest of this guide, I'll
teach you the most common red flags of job scams and how to protect yourself.
Tips to Avoid Scams When Searching for Remote Jobs
Scammers are offering remote jobs because a lot of people
are on the lookout for remote work, making them more likely to fall for this
kind of scam. That is why it is important to be careful when looking for a
remote job online so you don't get tricked.
Here are some things you can do to stay safe:
1. Use well-known job sites and company pages.
Stick to popular job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster,
and CareerBuilder. You can also go right to the websites of companies you know
and trust to see if they have any remote jobs posted.
2. Check out companies before giving them your info.
Before you apply, make sure the company is real. Look for a
professional website, find their address, search for news about them, and see
if they have employees on LinkedIn. If everything looks good, then you can
apply.
Take a look at the URL on their LinkedIn page and compare it
with the one you're visiting. If the company has a .COM domain but you received
an email from a .US domain, consider it a red flag.
3. Be extra careful with jobs that involve packages or moving money.
Some scammers might try to "hire" you to get
packages, repackage them, and mail them somewhere else, or to move money
between accounts. They're actually using you to help them steal and launder
money, which is illegal. Stay away from these!
4. Never give money or bank info to an employer.
Real employers almost never need your bank account or credit
card numbers, and they definitely shouldn't ask you to send them money. If a
potential employer keeps asking for your financial details or wants you to pay
them, stop talking to them right away.
5. Use a separate email and phone number for job searching.
This is a smart way to keep your main email and phone number
private until you know an employer is trustworthy. You can easily set up a free
email account and Google Voice number just for job searching. That way, if you
do get scammed, your main accounts are safe.
6. Be careful about interview platforms.
Real companies usually do interviews using common platforms
like Zoom, MS Teams, or Google Meet. If you're asked to use a platform like Discord
or some unfamiliar software, or to download some random application, be
suspicious. This could be a trick to get malware on your computer or hack
into your system. Always put your security first!
Discord is usually the platform scammers use for these fake
interviews!
If you follow these tips and watch out for warning signs, you can greatly lower your chances of falling for an online job scam. Stay alert and trust your instincts!
How to Spot an Online Job Scam
Aside from the warning signs, there are a few more tricks
scammers use that you should watch out for:
1. Job offers by text message from random numbers
If you get a job offer in a text from a number you don't
know, especially for a job you never applied for, it's probably a scam. Real
employers usually use email or job sites/LinkedIn to contact you. Be careful of
job offers that just appear out of nowhere and seem too perfect - that's a sign
you should look into it more before answering.
2. Asking you to pay for anything related to the job
Real jobs won't make you pay for equipment, training,
software, or starter kits. But scammers might also ask you to pay application
fees, background check fees, or even "deposits" to get the job. Don't
believe it - actual employers pay for all of that stuff.
3. Emails with lots of typos, bad grammar, and unprofessional language
Everyone makes a typo now and then, but if a job-related
email is full of obvious mistakes, that's a big red flag. Real companies have
people who proofread important emails. Scammers often have poor writing skills
or use bad translation programs.
4. Pressuring you to answer right away or miss out on the job
Scammers know that if you have too much time to think, you
might start to see through their lies. So they'll often try to rush you by
saying stuff like "act now, this amazing job won't be available for long!"
That's a classic trick used by salespeople, not something real employers do.
They want you to take your time and make a smart choice.
5. Job listings on sites like Craigslist or social media
It's not impossible to find real jobs on these sites, but they
are full of scammers. It's better to focus on well-known job boards and company
websites. If you do find a job on a classifieds site or social media, be extra
careful and look for other warning signs.
Remember, if something about an online job posting feels
fishy, don't ignore that feeling! It's always better to be too careful than to
fall for a scam.