How to Identify Job Scams

If you’ve ever fallen prey to job scams, then you understand how frustrating it can be to invest time and energy in pursuing a particular job lead only to discover it is a dead end. Job scams are progressively on the increase, with many fake jobs appearing on various job boards, and unsuspecting job seekers being scammed.

Job scams are advertised job positions that are posted on various job boards by individuals who impersonate employers in order to make a job seeker pay money in advance for a particular job position. Sometimes it can be difficult distinguishing between a fake job ad and a real one that is why in this article we will be highlight ways of identifying job scams.

So how do you identify a job scam?

Vague Job Description/Requirements

One of the easiest ways to identify a job scam is the way the job description is presented. Fake jobs tend to have general requirements that everyone can have, and most time these requirements are often irrelevant and false. Fake jobs do not come with clear job descriptions, so be on the lookout for vague and sketchy. When you read through a job post and it does not clearly state what the job entails or experience and qualifications need, know that you are about to be scammed.

Email Address via Which the Job Offer Was Sent

You can identify a job scam from the email address through which the interview invite or job offer was sent. Real job offers are sent form registered company email that include the contact detail of the company while job scams are sent using personal email address that end with @gmail.com or @yahoomail.com. To avoid getting scammed look out for the email address via which the mail was sent.

Request to Pay Money

One thing that should instantly raise a red flag about the genuineness of a job offer is if you are requested (directly or indirectly) to pay a certain amount of money to get the job. A legitimate employer would never ask you to pay money to gain employment into the company.

Looks too Good to be True

You would know a job offer is a scam when it appears too good to be true. As an entry level candidate looking for a job, and you come across an entry level role with a bogus or unrealistic offer, know for sure that the listed position is a false one.

Company has Zero Online Presence

When you get an email from a company inviting you for an interview, take time to look the company up online, by searching for them on Google. If they are a legitimate business, their details will appear including their contact details and website address. A company that has no online presence in this digital age should raise suspicions.