Employment or recruitment scams use social engineering to convince you that a wonderful job opportunity has landed in your lap. The email might be well worded and seem professional, convincing you that the offer is the real deal.
The email may be missing the usual tropes of the phishing email, such as a request for your bank account details or a small investment. But the scammers could be after something more valuable - your identity. Before responding to an unsolicited email from a recruitment agency, check out our ten steps for avoiding employment scams.
1. The email came completely out of the blue
If you weren't expecting an email from a recruiter, then you should exercise caution. These types of scammers are combing sites like LinkedIn, trying to take advantage of people looking for work. The first thing you should do is google the company to see if they have a website or social media accounts. If there are none, it's a red flag.
2. The employer is really, really well known (or kept completely confidential)
The company that the recruiter professes to be contacting you on behalf of is a Fortune 500 company; think Google, Microsoft, one of the heavyweights. Otherwise, the email doesn't give you any details about the employer, instead using generic terms like, ''client'', ''strong growth'' and ''career incentives''.
3. They don't seem to know much about you
Is the information they have limitied to your name, your email address and your job title? If the person contacting you is really a recruitment agency or a headhunter, they're unlikely to get in touch about a job opportunity without knowing your qualifications or your work experience.
4. The details are vague or non-specific
If you've finished reading the email and you're still not really sure what the position involves, then there's probably something wrong (this is a popular approach with door-to-door sales positions). A great way to test whether this is a generic email sent to the masses is to Google the weirdest sentence and see what comes back.
5. A highly paid job is offered to you immediately
The recruitment agency claims that the job is yours within the first email, or that you're one of the final candidates for a job you've never heard of. They also might be offering you an insanely high salary or hourly rate, often for a position that allows you to work from home.
6. Check what the email is asking you for
Is the email asking you to send them anything? An updated copy of your resume, your contact details? Are they asking you to keep correspondence private or in 'strict confidence'? If so, be a little wary. If they're asking for certificates, copies of your driving licence or bank details send it straight to Junk.
7. The email comes with an unsolicited attachment
Be extremely wary if this email comes with an attachment. Whether it claims to be a job description or more details about the company, it could easily be laden with malware. If you decide to reply, request that the details be sent to you in the body of the email. A legitimate recruitment agency will understand.
8. You can't find much about them online
If you do find a website for this recruitment agency, read it thoroughly and check the images. Is it filled with stock images, is the text misspelled or are the sentences badly worded? A legitimate company will have a bricks and motor address, located in your country, as well as details of people that work there.
9. Cross check those phone numbers and email addresses
It's not unusual for recruitment scammers to pose as a legitimate recruitment agency, using their professional website for cover. Cross check the contact details you've received through your email and see if they match with those on the website. The email address should be a corporate email too - not @gmail.
10. Ask for more information
If you've gone through all these steps and you're still not sure whether the email is legitimate, give them a call (ideally from the phone number listed on their website, but check whether it's a premium number first) and ask for the person that contacted you. If you get a voicemail, it should clearly state the office that you've reached as well as the individual.
Once you've got through, ask detailed questions about the job, it's location and what it involves. You should also ask for client references, of managers that have hired through the agency and candidates they've found work for and their contact details. A legitimate recruitment agency will be able to deliver, whereas a scammer will crumble.
Everything seems legitimate - should I proceed?
You should only proceed if you're satisfied with the agency's responses to your questions. A real recruitment agency will take the time to quell any doubts you have and produce evidence to back up their legitimacy; a scammer will pile on the pressure and encourage you to make a decision quickly.
We'd still be very wary of sending personal documents, bank details and copies of identification over email. If an employer needs this information, a HR manager should ask you for it in person. If the agency requests any sort of financial deposit - on training, software for equipment you'll receive, a resume update - tread carefully. If it sounds a little too good to be true, it probably is.
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