Many people will be on the hunt for a new job. But while you are looking for a new opportunity there could be some people who are out to make an opportunity out of you. How do you know if a job is a scam, and how can you avoid becoming a victim?
Here are six questions to ask yourself before clicking yes.
You have to pay
The moment you are requested to make a payment of any sorts or hidden payments are placed in the job agreement, this should be an immediate red flag. The only payments you should be making is getting yourself to the interview or purchasing airtime to make calls to recruiters. A legitimate business or recruiter will not ask you to pay for a job.
Typo’s everywhere
Carefully read the job description before applying. Any misspelt words or grammatical errors should be the first warning. The second thing you should check is if the company exists. Scammers have become smart, therefore, check that everything matches up. Many professional companies that exist use a URL address that matches their company name. For example, any vacancies placed by MiWayLife will have a URL address that states https://www.miwaylife.co.za/ in the search bar.
The email address is suspicious
You are most likely going to receive digital communication from a company you have applied to. Before responding to an email, check where it was sent from. Check that the email has the companies name and that it is correctly spelt. Any emails sent from MiWayLife will end with our domain i.e. JohnSnow@miwaylife.co.za. Anything that has been sent from a personal account such as Gmail or Yahoo could mean it is a scam.
Zero Experience required
With any job, having experience is required. Even if it means having the correct qualifications to get you started. Anything beyond that could be someone looking to reel in someone that they want to make money off of or could see you being taken advantage of in one way or another. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
They ask for personal details before the interview
Being asked for your personal details such as your I.D number, banking details or passwords should be a warning that things are not going to end well. The only time a professional company will ask for such information is when you have been offered the job and signed the contract in person.
The physical address does not exist
With human trafficking becoming an increasing problem in some areas, scammers have moved towards using non-existing physical addresses to attack vulnerable people. Always check the company on Google by running a search on Google maps and looking at general reviews of the company to see if it exists or if there have been scam complaints about it. Always inform loved ones of where you are going.
