The CBC News has recently reported on a scam targeting job seekers. The scam works by offering desperate job seekers an amazing “work from home” opportunity. They are also told that the company will send them a cheque to purchase office supplies from a third party and are instructed to e-transfer the money to that third party. The problem is that the job offer isn’t real, the cheques are bad, and once the cheque bounces, you are on the hook for the money.
This type of scams preys on desperate people looking to find employment. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many people to work from home, it is not uncommon to have interviews over zoom and be required to set up a home office. The red flag in this scam seems to be the fake cheque and the fact that you are requested to pass the funds along to a third party. According to the Better Business Bureau, they are not aware of any jobs where this is a legitimate request. If you are asked to do this, it is a scam.
This is just one of many job seeker scams out there. The Better Business Bureau Job Scams Study lists some of the other scams out there. The BBB offers some tips on how to avoid being scammed, like,
- To research the company and job offer to make sure the job is real
- Research the business at BBB.org
- If you are paying for the promise of a job, it is most likely a scam
- Be wary of secret shopper positions
- Exercise caution when providing your personal information to unverified online recruiters
These scams share a lot in common with many social engineering, business email compromise and phishing scams. Just as a person could be duped into believing a job offer is real, businesses also need to be on the lookout for scammers trying to extort information or money from them. To learn more about how your business can protect itself from these types of scams, contact the experts at Quick Intelligence. They can help teach you and your staff how to recognize and avoid falling for these types of online scams.
