Employment Scam

What is an employment scam and what does it look like?

Employment scams are generally fake or fraudulent ‘jobs’ that target people by saying that the job is easy, pays very well and has flexible job requirements.

Most employment scams usually have:

1. Unreasonably low requirements for jobs that pay very high salary;
2. Claims that the job is legal;
3. Claim that the work can be done from ‘anywhere’ or ‘work from home’
4. Absence of the legal name of the company or physical address of the company
5. Vague or unclear duties of the job

The most common job scams in Hong Kong include:

1. ‘Survey-filling scam’ where the person works to fill some surveys with their mobile phone but they are told to transfer money before the work starts;
2. A job that offers people to work as a “customer service operator” in a different country; or
3. A manufacturing job in Europe or the USA but requests the person to make a down payment.

Migrant domestic workers can be targeted with scam jobs. For example:

1. Recruitment Scams: a scammer might send an unsolicited message over WhatsApp to an MDW saying that their company is looking for people to give reviews and do surveys for money (for example, ‘we are looking for survey takers / product reviewers’). The scammers may try to convince the MDW that the work is easy and that the MDW can get paid for just watching movies or doing surveys. Scammers will usually then ask the MDW to give their personal information (for example, name, phone number, HKID number etc) or to pay an ‘administrative fee’ before the payment. The scammer will usually then disappear with the payment.
2. Working Abroad Scams: a scammer might send an unsolicited WhatsApp message to an MDW about a exciting new job in Europe/Canada/United States. Then, the scammer may ask the MDW to pay for a fee (such as a medical check, work pass application or deposit) to confirm the job. This is not likely a real job and there is a risk that the MDW might be put into a dangerous situation and lose a lot of money in paying the deposit.
3. Investment Scams: a scammer might contact an MDW through WhatsApp with an ‘investment opportunity’ where the MDW invests money into property, cryptocurrency or stocks. The scammer might send a picture of a fake graph to show how the investment has grown (for example, a HK$1000 investment grows into HK$100,0000). The scammer may then ask the MDW to give a ‘deposit’ to get started and once the money is received, the scammer disappears.

Always exercise caution and double check with another person before committing to a job.

The Hong Kong Police have released an online tool and mobile app to help identify scams. If you come across a job or get a suspicious call, you can check on Scameter’s website or phone app.

Helpful Tips

• If you come across a scam, consider reporting the scam to the Hong Kong police.
• If you come across a job posting that you are not sure about, check if it is legitimate using the Scameter or by asking another person.
• Do not talk to the scammer or engage with the scammer once you realize it is a scam. It is better to stop talking and block or report the phone number.
• Do not agree to take on a new job or move to another country verifying it. Double check the job and the company before making this decision.