Protect yourself from job seeker scams

Online recruitment is one of the most common ways for people to find jobs. Many of the UK job boards are quality sites and will do all they can to protect candidates from job seeker scams. However, with the rise of free sites and unmoderated job boards which allow anybody to post a job, there is an increasing danger that such sites are being used by scam merchants.

Scams are usually about getting money out of you or getting valuable personal information. Here are some tips to help you avoid falling victim to job seeker scams:

• Beware promises that sound too good to be true. They almost always are.
• Be cautious of a company or a website that promises or guarantees to get you a job.
• Be careful of any company or website that charges a fee, even if it guarantees refunds. In the UK, it is illegal for a company to charge a fee from candidates to get a job. In other words, you should never have to pay to get a job. Note: there are a number of exceptions to this: recruiters in the modelling and the film business are permitted to charge a fee.
• Beware of work-from-home scams. Too many require a job seeker to pay an initial “up-front” fee.
• If you reply to a job ad and are asked for money in advance, walk away.
• Always read the small print.
• Ask for full contact details, including a street address. A company website should provide the full street address for the business, not just a Post Office or mail box number. Contact them using details from their official website or documents.
• Be wary of buying from anyone who only gives an email address or mobile phone number.
• Don’t dial premium-rate numbers (beginning 090) unless you know how much you’ll be charged and you’re sure you’re willing to pay for it.
• Be aware that some job ads sound like they are real jobs when, in fact, they are fake jobs selling general information about getting a job.
• Put the company name into an internet search engine to see what you can find out. You can also look them up on the Companies House website to check they’re a registered company.
• Don’t be fooled by professional-looking websites and marketing materials. Scammers are good at making their scams look authentic.

Following these guidelines will offer you some protection but always remember that scammers are inventive. If you are the victim of a scam or think you have found one, help others by reporting it to Consumer Direct or call them on 08454 04 05 06.