What is employment scam?
An employment scam is a type of fraud where the fraudster finds and targets a job-seeker. Usually an employment scam involves a fake job offer that the scammer tries to make a job-seeker take. The scammer will try to make the job look very attractive. Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) may find out about a job that seems too good to be true. A usual job scam will say that they will pay very well and you just need to do basic work. MDWs should be careful because they are not allowed to do any other paid work other than domestic work under your visa (Work Pass).
Sources of Job Scams
Recently, most job scams are more likely to be online. Usually a job scam will start as a message or an advertisement, and the scammer will try to target people by saying that the job is easy and pays very well.
Common Job Scams
Identity Theft Scam
This type of scam tries to get a person’s personal information (such as their identity card number, credit card number or passport number). Once the scammer has this information, the scammer may try to use that information in a harmful way – for example, applying for big loans using the person’s details
Money Scams
Job scammers in money scams usually tries to ask for a person’s bank information or details to request the victim to transfer a small amount of money. Sometimes the scammer will say that this money is for the ‘application fee’, but usually the scammer will just take that information and never give back your money.
If you are applying for a job, NEVER give away your personal or bank information until you have confirmed that this is a real job.
Brushing Scams
A brushing scam is when an innocent person receives a package or a delivery of item that they did not order. The scammers find out an innocent’s person’s name and address and send random items to this person. The scammer then uses the innocent person’s name to give 5-star reviews of the product so that they get more sales.
Usually, scammers will find the personal information of an innocent person illegally or by stealing someone’s data online.
Helpful Tips
- Call the police at 999 if you are in real danger.
- If you come across a job and you are not sure, check with a trusted person first before going ahead.
- Do not panic. If you realise that the job is a scam, immediately stop speaking to the scammer and report and block the scammer.
- If you fall victim to a scam, make a full report to the police.
