Scammers are incredibly tuned into the fact that some job seekers are desperate to make money, and they will use this in recruiting new professionals who may not be accustomed to looking for work-from-home jobs.
Knowing how to differentiate legitimate work opportunities from harmful ones is the best way to protect yourself in your search for a remote job. And while job scams can pop up in any profession, we’ve got a list of the most common job search scams you should be aware of.
How to Know Fake Job interview Letter
Data Entry Scams
Data entry scams come in many forms, but the common theme is that they promise a lot of money for a job that does not require much skill. Jobs in this category often require an upfront payment for processing or training and very rarely pay as well as advertised. There are legitimate data entry jobs out there, but they do not advertise extravagant wages, and they do not require an initial outlay of funds.
Unsolicited Job Offers
Unsolicited job offers often come in the form of a job scam email. These offers are not sought out by the job seeker and offer either immediate employment or the opportunity to interview for a great job. Some scammers will even pretend to be from a well-known company or job board (such as Naukri, ZipRecruiter, or Indeed) to convince a job seeker to interview. These offers may also come in through social media (like Facebook, Telegram, Reddit, Twitter, or Instagram).
This is a Fake Interview Call Letter from the name of HCL
Even LinkedIn is no stranger to job search and recruitment scams. It is possible that a legitimate recruiter is reaching out to you about a legitimate job. It’s also possible that it is a scam. Scammers will use LinkedIn to reach out to targets, knowing you’re more likely to fall for the scam because the message is coming through LinkedIn. A new twist to this scam is fake recruiters, after connecting on LinkedIn, ask job seekers to download Telegram for the interview. Treat every unsolicited offer as a job scam—no matter where it comes from.
This is a Fake Interview Letter from the name of Popular Company TATA groups
Stuffing Envelopes
Stuffing envelopes is a job scam that has been around for many years. Although variations exist, this scam typically involves signing up and paying a fee to “stuff envelopes from home.” Once enrolled, you receive a document explaining how to get others to buy the same envelope-stuffing opportunity you did. You earn a small commission when someone else falls for the scam and pays the nonrefundable fee.
Using Fake URLs
You come across an online job listing from a well-known company offering work-from-home jobs. Is it too good to be true? Is the company really the company it claims to be?
Scammers will try to recreate the legitimate company’s website by slightly altering the web address. If you’re not looking closely, you may not realize that you’re on a scam website. For example, a real company website might have the address, companyname.com. But, when you’re looking at the fake website, the address is company-name.com. It’s a subtle change, but it could indicate you’re not on the company’s real website.
Career Advancement Grants
This scam is geared toward job seekers who may want or need to gain extra education or certifications for their career. You’ll typically receive an email asking you to apply online for a career advancement grant that supposedly comes from the government and can be directly deposited into your account if approved.
Communicating Through Chat
Scammers use instant messaging services to communicate and conduct fake job interviewers with job seekers. Although convenient, it is rare to actually secure a job or conduct a job interview with a legitimate company through a chat platform. If you are approached through chat, be sure to request that they give you a call, and do your research before interviewing to see if the results yield any red flags.
– Lacking Verifiable Information
You may have thought you found your dream job, but upon further inspection, you can’t find any information about the company. If you can’t verify a phone number, location, web address, or employee, you’re definitely looking at a scam. In this day and age, real companies will have an online presence and some social media engagement—if they don’t have a decent following, they may not be legitimate.
– Phishing
Emails, texts, phone calls, or instant messages—you name it, and there is a phishing scam. If a job is requiring you to click on a specific link or is asking for detailed personal and financial information, someone is trying to collect your sensitive information for malicious use. Phishing scams often look like they come from a trusted and well-known company, so always reach out to an employer directly through their legitimate website rather than respond to any “phish-y” looking communication.
– Google Doc: Inviting or Mentioning
A less-known scam includes inviting you or mentioning you in a Google Doc that you wouldn’t normally use. The name may or may not be someone you know and the title of the doc may look legit. However, pay close attention to the email used to send the doc as well as any links that may be included. These scams will typically provide a link for you to click on to “start earning now.”
How to Identify Job Scams
There are some telltale signs that indicate a job posting is probably a scam:
- The ad uses words that are probably too good to be true: quick money, unlimited earning potential, and free work-from-home jobs.
- There is a sense of urgency, or the recruiter is pushing you to accept the job now. Any legitimate company won’t push you into accepting a job offer immediately.
- The job post or email has obvious grammatical or spelling errors.
- You’re offered the job without a recruiter verifying your work experience or asking for references.
- The “company” has an email domain from Gmail or other popular providers.
- The job description is unusually vague.
