A New Career Could Mean a Stolen Identity
Category
Social Engineering, Awareness
Risk Level
So you’re taking a huge leap and beginning the job search for a new career? Congratulations! Whatever your reason for a change, you’re most likely starting your job search on one of the big job search websites like Indeed, Monster, or even LinkedIn.
You’ll likely start to find a couple of positions that interest you, and then you see the one. It sounds too good to be true, and they’ve been extremely responsive and receptive. They even want to start gathering up some personal information to get the process moving quickly!
“I’ve got this new job locked up!”
That all sounds amazing and we’re pumped for you, but this is the ACT so we’ve got some reservations due to an ongoing scam. Stop and ask yourself some questions first:
Who is the company? Are you having trouble finding more information about the company online, or does the recruiter’s email address not match the company name?
How have you been talking to the recruiter? Only email? Maybe you’ve only had interviews over an online messenger (like Facebook), instead of on the phone or in person. Have they been professional in their communications?
Is the job description vague, or has the recruiter been very forward with figures like salary, titles, and other incentives? Do they brush off your requests for more specific information?
Did they contact you before you contacted them?
Are they asking for bank account information, personal information, or for you to buy something up front?
If so, you could be the next victim of a job scam.
“Wait really?! I was just getting ready to put in my two weeks”
Unfortunately job scams are all too common. Scammers post or contact you about offers that are too good to be true, in the hopes of luring victims. They then use their position as “an employer” to take advantage of you. This could include collecting your personal information, like address and social security number, to steal your identity under the guise of completing an I-9 . Or they may send you a check, and ask you to deposit it; letting you keep some of it for “start up expenses” but also making you an accomplice in possible money laundering. All of these are bad signs and can make your job hunt a job nightmare.
“So what do I do?”
First, just keep your awareness up when applying for jobs. If something seems off, go look for more information. You can search for the company and see if other people have posted about any legitimacy issues before.
Second, ask your contact for things like a detailed job description, an orientation overview, benefits package details, or to have a phone call. Most likely all of these will be brushed off, or deferred with “don’t worry about it we’ll get you all trained up when you start” since the position isn’t real.
Third, if the company asks you to send your sensitive personal information early in the process, deposit a check, or anything else that seems out of the ordinary, STOP. Even if the offer sounds incredible, make sure you have done your due diligence before proceeding with anything.
Finally, if you’re worried about staying on top of the latest scams, make sure to subscribe to the ACT Digest, where we’ll tell you about what’s going on in the cybersecurity world, and how you can protect yourself, your friends, your family, and your organization.
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