According to Forbes, 14% of us work from home, with 26% of us working hybrid (sometimes travelling into a place of work, and sometimes working from home). Despite us being 4 years on from the first lockdown, when 46.6% of us didn’t leave for the office, remote working has stuck around. It’s no surprise that job opportunities that allow employees to work from home, or working hybrid are popular with those who are job searching.
Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage by listing fake remote working jobs, designed to mine applicants for their personal data, their bank details and their finances. If you’re job searching, make sure to avoid these ‘working from home’ opportunities’.
‘Just a couple of admin fees’
You’ve found a job listing through a job board, and you’ve submitted an application. The employer gets back to you and offers you an interview, during which they mention that there are a couple of admin fees that you’ll need to cover in order to complete a check, process your application or submit your CV to their team.
This is the ‘advance fee’ scam; applicants are encouraged to send money directly to the fake employer in order to progress with their application. If the victim sends money across, it’s likely that the fees will keep racking up until they realise what’s happening. At that point, their ‘job opportunity’ vanishes, and they’re left out of pocket.
No employer should require you to pay something in order to progress an application. If you’ve been asked to send money across, it’s likely that job opportunity is fake.
‘Send us across your ID’
You’re submitting an application, you’re in the final interview stages, or you’ve accepted a job, and the employer requests that you send a copy of your passport or driving licence across. They let you know that they need a form of ID in order to confirm your identity, and progress with your application or job offer.
This scam is a long play, but it's a clever one. Whilst most people would think twice before sending copies of their ID over the internet to someone they’ve never met, those who have invested time and energy into applying for a job are much more likely to send their information across.
This scam is tricky to detect because employers are required to check whether you’re eligible to work in the UK. However, if this request comes before a job offer, the job was offered to you very quickly, or the job’s salary seems high, this is a red flag. Make sure you check the company’s website, their listing on gov.uk, and contact them with the details you find there to ensure you’re speaking to the real business.
‘Transfer us some money for equipment’
You’ve accepted a job offer, and you’re in the process of getting set up for your remote job. The organisation says that you’ll need to send them some money in order for them to purchase the equipment you need, or that you’ll need to pay for shipping fees. But don’t worry, they’ll be sending you a cheque to cover the cost.
This is a sneaky little spin on the fake cheque scam, and the cheque that the ‘employer’ sends across will be fraudulent. Although the money might initially appear in your account, it will fail the bank’s verification checks, and the payment will be reversed. Your fake employer disappears, pocketing the money you sent them for equipment in the process.
Businesses should not ask you to pay for equipment or shipping costs, and they certainly shouldn’t be asking you to transfer them money in order to get started.
How to verify that an employer is legitimate
For remote working and hybrid opportunities, applicants should always check the company’s reputation online. Search for the business’ name, their reviews from previous employees, and have a look at their website. Remember, anyone can pretend to be a business online, so where possible call the organisation directly with the contact details they list on their website. And if a job offer feels too good to be true, it probably is.
