From the ad, the job reads like a dream. It’s in your area of expertise, pays slightly higher than what you’re currently earning. But as you contemplate on the job ad, something just doesn’t seem right. For job offers and companies that appear online, many of them can be fake, meant to lure you to hand over your hard-earned cash and become a victim of identity theft. This is what we call a JOB SCAM.
A Job Scam occurs when a scammer poses as an employer or recruiter, and offers attractive employment opportunities which require the job seeker to pay or give personal information. They usually disguise it with work visas, travel expenses, etc. Once the cash has been paid over the scammer disappears, and the job seeker is left without a job and money.
Before you apply for a job, review the following warning signs a job offer is a scam to help you determine if it’s legit or not. Here’s how to identify job scams:
1. No Experience Necessary – Even though you’re a fresh college graduate, you’re going to need some type of work experience (from previous jobs or internships) in order to get hired. Be cautious of ads that make it seem like anyone can do the job, because honestly, not everyone can do every job.
2. Salary is much higher than Average – Getting paid a really high salary is not ideal for all job seekers. Any legitimate employer will evaluate your skill set and experience, before deciding on what you’re worth. Job scammers posts a much too high salary – sometimes thousands higher – to induce desperate job seekers. 
3. Requires Money – Any job offer that requires you to pay a fee in advance, is most likely a scam. Savvy job scammers are no longer demanding cash up front in order for a job seeker to get a job. They’re now asking money through propriety software or monthly payment for insurance on a laptop. NEVER PAY MONEY ACROSS EVER! No legitimate company or recruiter will ask for money upfront. Not for anything. 
4. You’re Hired on the Spot – You’re sure that you’re a qualified candidate, but hiring you without taking time to browse your resume and conduct rounds of interviews just doesn’t seem right, there isn’t a real job. Reliable companies generally conduct a massive research and review to get to know their potential job candidates before offering a position.
5. You’re asked for your Personal Info – You’ve finally been offered the job position, but then you are asked for your personal information – Social Security Number, Bank Account and Routing Number. By offering this information, you may be setting the scene for the scammer to pose as you to apply for credit cards, and run massive bills in your name and ruin your credit record. The only time you should be handling over personal information such as Social Security Numbers, is after you’ve been hired and are setting up payment and tax information.
6. The Job ad is written Poorly – You noticed a couple of typos in the job ad. You also saw some mixed tenses and a description that didn’t make any sense at all. When an ad reads like it’s been translated by Google Translator, or it’s unclear what the job actually entails, you can bet that it’s a job scam. 
7. They contact you at odd hours – It’s true that the Business World operates 24/7 but hiring manager don’t. So if you’re consistently getting emails at 3:00am from a potential boss or recruiter, be warned. Remember that business emails will be sent and answered during normal business hours.
8. You didn’t contact them, they contacted you – If you receive an email for a job that you have not even applied for, and if it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true.
9. They have wide variety of open positions – If any of the company has dozens of available positions and wide variety of job titles, this is another red flag. If you see positions available for clerk, manager, district manager and executive all for the same company then double check the company for no legit company would do that. What they’ve done is renaming the same job a dozen times to attract as many keyword searching job seekers as possible.
10. You have no idea what the company actually does – You’ve read the job description and at the end of it, you’re not really sure what the job actually entails. Or if the role states that there is no specific skill necessary for the job, you are probably about to be scammed. Legitimate company requires at least some experience or qualification for their job offer.
How to Avoid Job Scam
Research the Job and the Company – Search and visit the company’s website and if they don’t have one or it doesn’t fit with how they describe their company, consider that a red flag. If they have a website, review if it’s professional enough, if it contains their contact information, and if the jobs and career information are also posted in their site.
Find the Company Address or use Google Maps – Use Google or Google Maps to look for the company’s address. If they don’t have any address indicated, then be warned.
Do not Pay – Do not pay money – for anything. Legitimate employers don’t charge to hire you.
Forget Getting Rich Quick – Avoid listings that guarantee your wealth, financial success, or that will help you get rich fast. That’s a clear indicator of a Job Scam.
Trust your gut – Job scammers believe that there are desperate job seekers who will take their bait. Don’t ever let your guard down and let these scam artists take advantage of you.
When you’re job hunting, it can be easy to fall prey to a job scam. Stay one step ahead of the job scammers and you’ll find a legitimate job in no time. If you’re ready to take a step forward, browse for jobs now.
From Visually.
The post 10 Signs a Job Offer is a Scam & How to Prevent It appeared first on Jobs For EveryJuan.