What Are Recruiting Scams? 6 Ways to Spot Recruitment Fraud (2024)

Recruitment fraud is when scammers prey upon the eagerness of candidates to find work by creating fake job opportunities that trick applicants into revealing personal information, sending money, and thinking they have a job.

Recruitment fraud is unfortunately part of modern job hunting as these scams are becoming more and more sophisticated. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe during your job search.

Signs of Recruitment Fraud

1. Asking You for Money

Simply put, don’t send money to a potential employer. Legitimate employers and hiring managers don’t require an application fee or expect you to pay for training.

Please note that paying for a job search service, such as FlexJobs, which has an A+ rating with the BBB, is different than sending money to an employer for a job. FlexJobs provides a scam free job search platform to help keep job seekers safe. On the other hand, employers that ask for money upfront for the application or to start a job at the company are not legitimate. To learn more, read about the most common job search scams or explore the many articles FlexJobs has on job search scams. You can also use theBetter Business Bureau’s scam trackerto review (and report!) job scams.

2. Upfront Requests for Sensitive Information

Sensitive information (like your social security number, date of birth, or bank account information) should never be a part of the early recruitment process. Eventually, your employer will need this information for taxes and benefits enrollment, but only after you have a written job offer and sometimes not until your first day on the job.

Real hiring managers want to examine your resume, not your driver’s license, so be suspicious of any recruiter that’s asking for personal information as part of your initial application.

However, if the employer is paying you for a test project (which happens), they will need, at a minimum, a way to send you payment. Check the company out thoroughly, though, before handing it over.

3. Fraudulent Use of Company Information

Sure, you’ll probably think twice before answering a company you’ve never heard of that sends an email filled with grammatical errors. But not all scams are easy to spot.

Crooks can be quite adept at producing convincing communication, even using (without authorization) the name and logo of a well-known company. GE, Hilton, Walgreens, and even FlexJobsall have experienced problems with imposters.

4. Generic Company Email Addresses

A recruiter’s email pops into your personal (or work!) inbox, claiming they found you via social media or your resume on a job board. Should you be suspicious?

Generally, recruiters use the job board or social media platform to communicate with candidates instead of their personal email addresses. That said, communications outside these platforms happen, so check out the sender’s email address.

An address from a real representative tends to include the individual company’s domain. [MarySmith@ge.com] likely works for General Electric, but [RecruitGE@gmail.com] is probably bogus.

That said, it’s all too easy for scammers to create an email that looks pretty darn legitimate. When in doubt, don’t respond. Instead, go directly to the company’s website and check their career page. NBCUniversal, for instance, instructs that any employment-related message not from @nbcuni.com should be treated as fraudulent.

5. Only Using Texts and Online Chats

As technology evolves, so do scams, and some recruitment scams have migrated to texts or online chats.

Before clicking on a link or accepting an invitation, do your homework. Most legitimate companies don’t reach out to recruit via text unless you already applied on the company’s site and opted to receive text messages.

The same goes for using chat platforms. Though some companies make online chat a part of the interview process (like if the role is for an online customer chat agent), it’s usually not the entire application and interview process.

6. If It Seems Too Good To Be True

It feels great that a company is fast-tracking you, contacting you within an hour of applying, and doesn’t require an interview or checking references. But as the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Legitimate recruiters want to establish a relationship in which both sides learn about one another and explore the possibility of employment. They don’t skip all the steps in the hiring process just because you have a nice LinkedIn profile.

Make sure you research the company on your own before responding:

• Examine the company’s website by finding it on your own, not through a provided link
• Check with your network to see if anyone knows anything about the company
• Google the company plus the word “scam” or “fraud”
• Check the Better Business Bureau
• Contact the company directly

Your actions will either reveal an “opportunity” that you’re better off passing on, or you’ve got a head start on gathering the information you’d want anyway before interviewing.

Trust Your Gut

And of course, trust your gut! If you get a sneaking suspicion that something isn’t quite right with the job, you’re probably right. Trust your instincts and do your homework to ensure you’re not victimized by a scammer.