How To Protect Yourself From A Job Posting Scam

Job scams have been on the rise for the past few years now. Along with a general rise in cyberattacks and online fraud, these scams have especially targeted many vulnerable people across the board.

The rise in job scams is simple – since the pandemic, unemployment has been on the rise. And with inflation being an especially increasing trend over the past year, more people have found themselves out of the job.

The desperation to get a new job and find a stable source of income has led many people to sign up on job sites, where hackers can easily target them with scam postings and ads. 

So far, the BBB has noted that job scams have become the third most common form of online scam – just behind phishing and online shopping fraud. Complaints about job scams in 2022 totaled over 2,500, with losses also amounting to over $3.5 million. Still, all of that is just the beginning. 

While this trend continues to bother many in the industry, here are a few ways to protect yourself while job hunting.

Check Email addresses: The first thing you want to do is verify that the sender’s email address is real. If it’s a personal email, then you might be dealing with a scam.

Verify the job posting: You can also verify the posting in question to be sure that the company really is hiring for that role. Check their website, other online job platforms, etc. 

Doubt any unsolicited contact: If you suddenly get a call, text, or Email about a job posting that you never applied for, then you should treat it with immediate skepticism.

Never pay for anything: If you get a job offer that requires you to buy your own office equipment or make some form of payment, you should flag it immediately. No legitimate company will ever ask its fresh recruits to buy anything.