Finding a job can be a stressful and desperate time for some people. Therefore, we should all be cautious when we are job hunting as there are some people looking to take advantage of your situation.
Some people will scam you by sending you bogus links of job opportunities, and others will ask for money claiming that they will secure a job for you.
According to Indeed, you have to distinguish between scammers and valid job offers. Not only will these scammers trick you into taking your money but they can also use your information for their own benefit.
There are easy ways you can identify a job scam. The first thing that you need to do before providing anyone your information, is to verify the legitimacy of the company or organization.
News24 reports that scammers thrive when they see people desperate for work and take advantage of their situations.
A Facebook user wrote: “Today a doctor called me randomly for an offer to attend a conference in Abuja, I declined because the same person forgot that he called me two weeks ago for a procurement contract for the World Bank. It was a scam because fortunately for me I wasn’t going to waste money on something that is not feasible or real.”
How to identify job scams according to Indeed
- Paying in order to get a job is a red flag. Quoting South African law, “no person may charge any fee to any work seeker for providing employment services to that work seeker.”
- Avoid sms scams. If you receive an sms asking you to send the word “job” via text, do not respond to the sms as you will be charged.
- When looking for a job, don’t give out your financial details, identity documents or money over the phone.
- If a job is too good to be true, it probably is for example, “work from home and get paid R1500 per hour, send us your banking details.”
- Look for spelling errors for advertised positions and verify the legitimacy of the email address.
Also see:‘Burnout leave’ might just save the workforce in South Africa
