How to Spot a Recruitment Scam

With an increase in people currently searching for jobs online, there has been a rise in recruitment scams being carried out, mainly through false job advertisements, fake job websites and unsolicited emails. The coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the job market, impacting both the economy and job security. The current employment rate in the UK stands at 3.9%, which is close to being the lowest it has been for 40 years. Once again highlighting the impact that coronavirus has had on the workforce.

Therefore for those who have been furloughed, made redundant or are simply unemployed you’ll undoubtedly be uploading your CV and sharing your information across multiple sites and platforms in the hope of a recruiter or employer contacting you back regarding your next career move. With more people looking for jobs than ever before, recruitment scammers have been working hard to catch you out.

The predominant aim of a recruitment scam is to obtain the victim's personal information and potentially even money. The scammer will often pose as a company, often it can be a well-known company which causes them to look more legitimate, with many job hunters, not second-guessing where this advert is originally from. The scammer will then continue to send you emails, chat with you online or via phone call which leads job hunters to believe they have received a genuine job offer.

However, with this type of job scam there are warning signs in which you should look out for:

• NEVER give out your bank details
• Watch out for poor grammar or spelling mistakes
• Be wary of unprofessional email addresses such as Yahoo, G-Mail or Hotmail accounts
• Watch out for out of the ordinary requests
• Check the connections of the recruiter – genuine profiles will likely have a lot of connections
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
• Job offers over social media
• Scammers will often be very persistent to get things done quickly

The Financial Fraud Action UK found that as many as 15% of adults in the UK have been contacted with fake job offers. With a figure like that, it shows how common these job scams can be and why it is so important to watch out for them.

Here at Mane, we have successfully led the market for over 25 years, being standouts in our sectors we recruit in. Our commitment to excellence is demonstrated by the many accreditations and memberships we hold, such as BSi ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and APSCo membership, all of which show the importance we place on Quality, Environment, Health & Safety and ethical recruitment practice. We strongly believe all our job seekers have the right to feel safe when applying for any available vacancies.

It only takes a few minutes to thoroughly check how trustworthy a job advert or offer is, this will not only provide you with peace of mind but also prevent others from being scammed. Here at Mane, we are always happy to confirm a job offer, if you have any queries or questions feel free to email us at: info@mane.co.uk or call us on + 44 (0) 1923 470 700.