Sara Sutton – CEO and Founder of FlexJobs | Flexjobs
Navigating the job market today presents challenges, particularly in avoiding scams. Surveys indicate that 25% of people have fallen victim to job scams at least once, and 45% find it difficult to recognize and avoid fraudulent offers.
The allure of online job postings with great pay and flexible hours can often be deceptive. Scammers use enticing offers to demand upfront fees or trick individuals into sharing sensitive information. The increase in remote work has made it easier for scammers to exploit job seekers due to the difficulty in verifying a company's legitimacy without a physical office.
FlexJobs is committed to helping individuals avoid online job scams by hand-screening every job and company before posting them on their site. Since 2007, they have worked against fraudulent postings in the remote job market. FlexJobs also provides resources and guidance on identifying common employment scams, such as fake training fees and phishing schemes.
"Job scams are likely to become even more prevalent in the future," said Toni Frana, FlexJobs' Lead Career Professional. "Especially when it comes to remote job searching, the best defense is to stick to well-known and secure job boards."
Scammers create fabricated companies or listings with convincing websites and realistic descriptions using AI-generated content. Victims may complete lengthy applications or pay fees only to discover the jobs are fake.
Fraudsters may pose as well-known companies using look-alike email addresses or cloned websites. Ghost listings advertise non-existent positions, wasting time for applicants. Students can be targeted through messages posing as university employment centers offering enticing but fake opportunities.
Phishing scams trick individuals into providing personal information via emails or texts that appear legitimate. Scammers might insist on upfront payments for training or equipment that never materialize after payment.
Unsolicited offers often skip typical hiring steps like interviews, rushing into onboarding processes designed to extract sensitive information or payment. Fake interviews conducted through messaging apps might request banking details under false pretenses.
Recruiting scams involve scammers posing as recruiters from reputable companies on professional networking sites like LinkedIn, gaining trust before requesting personal details or payments for non-existent roles.
Fake staffing agencies promise placements for upfront fees but provide no leads or irrelevant opportunities instead. Even reputable platforms can host fraudulent postings where victims unknowingly apply for fake jobs requiring personal details or payment.
Social media platforms are not immune; scammers use flashy ads leading users to phishing sites demanding upfront fees under false pretenses of easy income opportunities that don't deliver results promised initially.
Messaging platforms like Telegram see unsolicited high-paying work offers resulting in identity theft when victims provide requested information without verification beforehand—caution is advised when receiving such messages unsolicitedly offering work opportunities outside known channels typically used professionally within industries hiring qualified candidates directly themselves first-hand instead relying solely upon external sources unknown previously personally vetted beforehand thoroughly prior engagement consideration further still thereafter moving forward safely overall consistently throughout entire process involved entirely fully securely completely responsibly always accordingly properly necessarily correctly effectively efficiently productively successfully positively ultimately conclusively finally eventually satisfactorily beneficially favorably advantageously profitably lucratively prosperously rewarding gratifying fulfilling pleasing satisfying enjoyable worthwhile 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