The recent increase in the cost of living and movement in the job market has created an opportunity for scammers to impersonate recruiters, offering attractive salaries and ideal work arrangements, with an abundance of roles available.
There has been an uplift in fraudulent messages being sent via WhatsApp, as well as text messages, Telegram, emails, and even calls.
What these messages look like
These fraudsters will claim to be a recruiter, often from a specific recruitment agency with attractive role/s available.
Some will prompt you to provide personal details and sometimes even bank details.
There has also been an emergence of the use of names from specific recruitment agencies, taking information from company websites and LinkedIn to seem more legitimate.
Potential fraudsters may replace their WhatsApp photos with company logos or images, creating fake virtual business cards, fake email addresses and numbers, and/or fake social media accounts.
Tips to combat fraudulent activity
We encourage all job seekers to take extra precautions, especially when receiving unsolicited messages.
Always verify the authenticity of requests for confidential information.
Do not respond to text messages or calls from unknown numbers and avoid any communication with unverified individuals.
To verify the authenticity of a message, email or phone call that you receive from an individual claiming to be an employee of a particular company, go online to their corporate website and call their main office number (do not rely on social media which can be falsified).
Do not click on any links within messages until you have verified the legitimacy of the message.
Professional recruiters will never use emails from personal domains such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or any other free online mail services to communicate with job seekers. Professional recruiters should not ask for confidential information during the very initial stage of the recruitment process and will never ask for any form of payment as part of the recruitment process.
If you are currently looking for a new role and wish to contact one of our consultants directly, please click here. Stay safe and vigilant during your search!