Most headlines about the jobs market are about increasing opportunities for people to find work, but some job seekers’ experiences are a stark reminder that fake job adverts are also on the rise. The victim found out that fraudsters took out a car loan of almost £4k in their name after obtaining personal details via a fake job advert. And this is not an isolated incident, as we have previously reported this practice has been going on for months and is increasing.
In another example, a midwifery student hoping to attend university needed a wide range of work experience within the care sector, so she started looking for jobs on Indeed. After filling out some job applications she received an impromptu call from who she thought was a recruiter.
They told her she was being offered a job in a care home and that she should send them £40 and more personal details such as her driving licence, national insurance number and passport information so they can perform DBS checks. However she never heard back from them, and when she followed up the shifts they promised she was informed that her contract had been terminated and no DBS check was made for her.
Longstanding friend of IWORK, Keith Rosser, heads up JobsAware, an initiative that exists to protect workers and prevent job scams. Earlier this year, Keith told us that there has been a 70% increase in reports of job scams, and that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
If you are concerned that you have become victim to a job scam, you can report it to JobsAware here.
