In the current situation where jobs are tough to come by and bills even harder to pay, plenty of scammers are trying to take advantage of the desperate by promising fake jobs.
I read such a FAKE advertisement which brings me to share a few of my experiences in learning to spot some of them.
Here are some warning flags to look for
1. Job advertisements that promise thousands of dollars
If earning thousands of dollars were that easy, wouldn't we all be millionaires with the best of houses, cars, education, and health insurance. Why would these people still be advertising as individuals rather than running multi-million dollar corporations? Work is tough for everyone, it is a daily challenge for everyone. Do not fall into this trap.
2. Watch for grammatical errors
Grammatical errors, poorly constructed phrases or sentences, and suspicious website links are immediate warning signs. “Small errors are easily overlooked but are important clues to scams,” says cybersecurity expert Ryan O’Ramsay Barrett, whose company provides cybersecurity to small businesses.
3. When you are asked to send a resume but there is no specific job posting
While this could also mean the job is confidential and hence lacks a job posting, I may recommend you review details of the job poster and as much information about the company. Try and ascertain the credibility to avoid your personal information like phone numbers, email addresses, and home addresses being shared.
4. When you are asked to pay for a job application, interview, or even a guaranteed job
Someone who asks for upfront money to help your CV land a job or an interview is a huge warning sign. Some may be genuine people but trying to take advantage of the covid-19 situation. Either way, the UAE labour law prohibits money from being taken from job seekers. You may want to contact the police or the Ministry of Labour if you encounter such a situation.
5. Personal Email addresses.
Job posting must be from an official company email address. The moment the domain is a @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, or a @hotmail.com (or similar), it must be a warning to you. Check how the company name is spelled, and you may even want to call the company to verify the job posting.
6. When Hiring Managers or HR personnel message or WhatsApp you
Genuine job opportunities will come via an email (watch for the official email address) and not a text message. You may not have "privacy protected" your contact details on social media, and if someone has got hold of your mobile number, it exposes a threat to you receiving all sorts of messages. The message may even try to refresh your memory about the job you applied. Do some research on your application and the person (most likely they may know that already), but again calling the company board line or finding out other staff on online platforms may give you a heads-up.
7. Be careful of advertisements that mention top brands
Search for the job on the company's website or call the company's HR department to ascertain the geniuses. Top brands will have a very well-organized human resource team or network of carefully selected recruiters. You will not find it difficult to verify the job.