Social media sites are growing opportunities for people to find employment, but they have also enabled scams to grow as well.
The fraudsters are leveraging social media like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn to post ads for promising job opportunities touted as real business enterprises.
Such postings are frequently accompanied by offers of lucrative pay, flexible hours, working from home or positions available immediately and are therefore attractive to those actively seeking jobs.
Many of the ads require the applicants to reach out to a person through WhatsApp or any other messaging application rather than the official website of the company.
After getting in touch with you, the scammers could request personal information, copies of ID documents, or banking information.
There are also times in the “recruitment process” when fake recruiters ask for payment. Before an offer letter is issued, applicants may be required to pay the registration fees, security deposit, training fees or other necessary costs.
Once the payment has been received, the recruiter will not respond again.
A frequent method is sending applicants links to sites or forms that will ask for sensitive information.
Individuals who are pursuing a job are desperate for a job and may give out their information without verifying the authenticity of the company or recruiter.
Social media job hunting can be a big issue for young people just out of college and individuals who are not working.
When you see offers of an immediate job, with a job description that’s a clone, and employee profiles that appear genuine but are fake, it can make you believe it is a legitimate job offer.
Generally, the experts recommend that job seekers make sure to confirm the job postings on the official website of the company before they provide personal details.
It’s also important to watch out for recruiters who demand payment, promise an interview-free position or only contact applicants via unofficial methods.
A serious employer will typically give you explicit details regarding the role, recruitment process and company. This means job seekers should make a few extra minutes to check out the opportunity before applying to see if it’s a good offer or a scam to rip money or personal details.