Be smart when seeking a job

Job scams have been around as long as jobs themselves, but the advent of the internet has made it much easier and less risky for criminals to practice employment fraud, therefore job seekers need to be aware of what to look out for. There are two main types of scams that may have an impact, namely job hunting and employment scams, which may sound like the same thing but they each have a different modus operandi.

The most common scam associated with job hunting involves the request of a deposit, which is most commonly associated with work-at-home opportunities. These types of scams work when an 'employer' or scammer says that a deposit is needed to start working for them. They will probably tell the applicant that the deposit will be used for supplies and training materials. The most important thing to remember is that one should never have to pay for anything to get a job - one works to get paid not the other way around

Work-from-home scams

Job seekers should also be on the look out for employment scams, which usually involve the scammer attempting to get hold of your personal details and, as with the job hunting scams are usually focused around offering work-from-home opportunities where the scammer offers a job that doesn't exist. The 'employer' will then ask the applicant to fill in documentation or ask you for your bank account information to set up direct deposit for work done.

Also be on the lookout for common scams, those that state there are only a certain number of openings left, those that have strange or free email URL's or 'jobs' that require you to meet the prospective 'employer' at strange times and unusual places. 'Admin' job, 'typing' job, 'research' job and data-capture job offers are very common however, there are legitimate companies like The Direct Selling Association who use these classifieds and also use 'work from home' as key words.