India’s young population in search of career growth and job prospects is vulnerable to fraud through fake job offers and SMS and WhatsApp messages. According to a recent report by chat-based direct hiring platform Hirect, nearly 56% of job seekers India Get affected by job scams while looking for a job. The report states that job seekers between the ages of 20 and 29 are the main targets of scammers. Now, the way scammers work is simple: entice desperate youth to pay money first by promising jobs with higher pay.
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Some job offers take advantage of people by getting them to work online for free while some so-called job agencies ask money for providing fake references and practical training, which means little to get a real job.
Recently, the trend of wooing people by sending targeted text messages via WhatsApp or even SMS has increased. For example, you might get messages like: “Dear you have passed our interview, salary is Rs.8000/day. To discuss in detail please contact: http://wa.me/9191XXXXXX SSBO.”
Note that any link starting with “wa.me” is basically the URL of someone’s WhatsApp number and you can chat with that person on WhatsApp without adding the number. Sometimes, you may be tempted to click on a shortened link that basically redirects to a phishing website with the name of an established organization.
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There are many variants of the above messages which are used to trick the desperate people in search of jobs in India. But what happens when you actually approach these people for jobs? 3 possible outcomes.
scammers ask for money first
There is no need to pay any money to the HR department of a company to get a real job. But scammers can come up with ‘fees’ like registration fee, agency fee, application fee, training fee, offer letter fee and the list goes on. The scammer will first convince you that you have got the job and then ask for money through internet banking or UPI to issue the offer letter. They can come up with any number of silly accusations or ‘requirements’ to defraud you. Needless to say that you are going to be duped in the end.
you never get paid
If money is not there then it can be deceiving over time. There are job scams where the candidate is given a fraudulent offer letter from a company and they are asked to start their job. They are given assignments and in the beginning the work seems quite serious. But as soon as the candidate is about to complete the first month, he is asked to pay some money to get the salary of the first month as ‘agency fee’. Alternatively, the candidate is never paid in full and is given 10% of the promised salary to continue working. Sometimes, fake recruiters just disappear after the job is done.
Pyramid marketing or theft of personal data
Sometimes job scams require you to pay a registration fee and then you are promised a certain commission to bring in new candidates. Although descriptions and job profiles may vary, these are mostly classic pyramid marketing schemes that waste time, energy, and of course, money.
On the other hand, some job scams are done only to illegally harvest your personal data like CV, home address, government ID, ITR, etc. This personal data is used for identity theft.
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According to the Cybercrime Unit of Delhi Police, fraudsters get the bulk of job-seekers looking for job resumes/CVs from job sites such as Naukri.com. Shine.com, etc., and using the details provided in the CV – phone number, email, educational qualification, previous employment, etc., personal fraudulent email devices promising job opportunities in reputed companies.
Delhi Police warned, “The fraudsters run a call-center setup and either pose as a job consultancy firm or impersonate themselves as potential employers.
“Once the potential victim falls in their trap, they start demanding fees in the nature of registration fee, document verification, interview scheduling, uniform advance etc. After withdrawing huge amount from the victim, they stop further communication. Let’s do it.”
Job scams: what you need to check to stay safe
Delhi Police has listed down some safety precautions that you must keep in mind while looking for a job:
1. Note that no genuine recruiter will demand huge amount for registration, document verification, interview scheduling etc.
2. Fraudsters impersonate real job consulting firms using identical email accounts, logos, etc. Verify the details of the firm before making any payment for job assistance.
3. Look for complaints and reviews about the said firm on online forums. If a large number of people have shared reviews about their fraudulent activities, they are probably fraudsters.
4. Verify the genuineness of the offer from the above reputed employer whose job has been offered. Use the contact details given on the official website of the company to get clarification. Do not demand clarification from company executives referred by the job advisor. They are probably part of a gang that is trying to deceive you.
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5. Don’t be fooled by fake email ids, customer care numbers etc. Cross-verify every claim with alternate channels before engaging with the said job consultant.
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