Cyber criminals are becoming more sophisticated, and are always changing their methods to fool their victims. Bogus job postings, fake recruiting emails, and work-at-home schemes are growing in popularity. As a job seeker you must protect yourself by being aware of scams and alert to anything out of the ordinary.
What Is a Job Scam?
The job hunt is already a stressful period for people. Be aware of cons! Scammers could post a bogus job offer on a reputable site, or they might contact you directly under the guise of “recruiting” you for a great opportunity. Like phishing or other online confidence schemes, job scams hope to access your personal data or extort a sum of money from you. Being watchful for warning signs will help you to shield your information and ensure you don’t become a victim.
Be on the Lookout
Take a good look at that job offer you received. Were you addressed by name, or was it addressed to “applicant” or something generic? Are there spelling and grammar mistakes in the content? Legitimate companies spend time and money to certify that official documents are professional. Does the job description seem vague and too good to be true? That’s likely because it is. A lot of companies are happy to train an entry level employee, or accept an employee without a higher degree. However, most positions over an entry level one expect several years of experience or a college degree, and pay accordingly.
Be aware of any company that agrees to hire you without meeting you in person. At a bare minimum, your future employer should look to speak you directly on the phone or via video-conferencing. A prospective employer should want to understand who you are as a person before they hire you to come and work for them.
The most obvious tell of a scam is a company who asks you to pay upfront for the opportunity. These schemes might ask you to buy a software package from the company or pay them to run a “necessary” al check. Legitimate companies don’t ask for money from prospective employees, if they do it should set off alarm bells. Background and criminal checks are common in any industry where you might have access to confidential information. But, your prospective employer will get them through a reputable vendor. This vendor will bill the company directly and they will charge you through a payroll deduction so that everything is legitimate and on the books. No reputable company will ask you to use your personal bank to complete transactions for the company.
How Can I Protect Myself?
- Be suspicious of unsolicited opportunities or job offers especially any that offer a “guaranteed income” or ask for some sort of upfront payment
- Look at the email address for errors, copy/paste it into a search engine – you can also type in the word ‘scam’ after the email address to see if someone else has reported the company
- Look at who is sending the letter/email – this information should come from someone with a title indicating they work in Human Resources or Recruitment
- Contact the company directly to confirm the authenticity of the offer – don’t call the number provided in the letter, search for a head office phone number and ask to speak with the sender of the letter
- Get all details and contracts in writing – genuine offers will come to you on official stationary and will include details of the offer from the person you have been talking to
- Do not deal with an employer or company that does not have a street address – they can be difficult to contact or trace later on
- Do your homework – It is much better to be safe than to be sorry
Bill Gosling Outsourcing’s Recruitment Process
Have you received a job offer from someone at Bill Gosling Outsourcing? Bill Gosling Outsourcing does not send unsolicited job offers.
Some things to note about the Bill Gosling Outsourcing Recruitment and Hiring Process
- We do not send unsolicited job offers
- We do not offer a job to anyone, at any level, without meeting them in person
- Prospective employees of Bill Gosling Outsourcing undergo a recruitment assessment that helps determine if you are a fit for our company
- We do not offer work-from-home opportunities
- We only hire employees that are legally allowed to work in our respective jurisdictions – We will not hire you if you are not already residing in the area
- We never ask for confidential information before a prospective employee’s start date
- Costs, including any pre-employment screening are the responsibility of Bill Gosling Outsourcing, we will NEVER ask you to pay upfront for anything
If you suspect you have received a fraudulent job offer from Bill Gosling Outsourcing please reach out to our team to confirm the legitimacy of the offer.
Click the link below and see what positions we are currently hiring.
