Safety First
The recruitment industry has been targeted as easy pickings for scammers because hopeful people can make easy targets. There's even a disclaimer on SEEK job ads advising not to give over your bank account details as part of a job application.
Let me tell you a story.
“Jude” was new to our organisation and received messaged from one of our Managing Directors asking them to rush out and get some gifts for our client (it was around Christmas, so it made sense). Jude was referred to by name and the message came through with the photo and full name of said Director. Jude thought it was slightly odd that photo proof was asked for instead of the physical vouchers, but the Director was often out and about, and they wanted to do a good job so Jude ventured forth to accomplish the mission.
Fortunately, at the store someone at the checkout took note of how many vouchers Jude was buying and asked them to verify that this was a legit request by the Director as there was a scam doing the rounds for this type of thing. Jude was sceptical but rang the Director expecting a quick confirmation and was stunned to discover that it was not a legitimate request.
Close call! Jude was embarrassed but relieved the checkout person cared enough to ask about it.
“Jude” is not a simpleton. They are tech savvy and try to keep up to date with current events, but hadn’t heard of this scam and it could have easily turned out to be a story without a happy ending. It used to be so obvious when something was fake or you were being scammed, but if you’ve been following Nigel Latta’s most recent activity, you’ll be aware of just how clever local scammers are and just how easy it is for busy people to let their attention slip and hand over access to their bank account and/or identity.
The recruitment industry has been targeted as easy pickings for scammers because hopeful people can make easy targets. We noticed a disclaimer starting to appear on SEEK job ads advising not to give over your bank account details as part of a job application.
We want to “do the right thing” and raise awareness of a current scam doing the rounds in the recruitment industry, and how you can protect you and your nearest and dearest from being taken advantage of.
Fake Job Ads
Posting a job ad is easy and making it seem legitimate is even easier, so it wouldn't be that hard to be tricked into sharing your personal information like home address, passport details and employment history. Once a scammer has this type of personal information, they can use it to conduct a range of criminal activities including online fraud.
But how can you tell the difference between a true opportunity and a fake one?
- Double-check the company branding (see examples)
Scammers are counting on you to be too busy to pay attention and simply skim over the details - it’s as easy as swapping the font on one letter! The same principle applies to web addresses (e.g. big-business.co.nz instead of bigbusiness.co.nz - most browsers allow you to verify a link by hovering over it before clicking). - Verify the vacancy on the organisation’s own website
Most recruitment consultancies and in-house recruitment teams post across multiple platforms, not just one. That means that if a job ad is only showing on one platform, its worth phoning the organisation to double-check the legitimacy of the vacancy. - Don’t trust the messenger
While some recruitment consultants do reach out electronically to gauge interest in an opportunity, it’s normal to follow-up with a phone call to properly screen candidates and schedule any interviews. If you’re being invited to interview or conduct an interview only via a messenger service, we reckon that’s a red flag. - Personal information comes later
A recruiter doesn’t need your passport details in the screening stage, and they don’t need your full home address as part of the application process (a suburb and city will suffice). - No fees!
If you’re a job seeker, the only conversation around money that should take place is the one about how much you’ll get paid if successful, if any job ad or “recruiter” is asking for a placement fee then you’re being scammed.
It’s frightening how many good people have been tricked by bad opportunists and how often scams evolve and new threats emerge. We recommend following Cert NZ and sharing any of your own scam experiences (no matter how embarrassing you may find them to relive), because knowledge is power.
And remember if something sounds too good to be true then it probably isn’t.
Ngā mihi nui
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