People who are most vulnerable to job scams often lack awareness and knowledge, and underestimate their potential to be duped by scammers. I’m glad you are reading this, which means you’re trying to stay sharp, marketable, and vigilant. I hope you share this with your coworkers, friends, family, and network.

This is a fight to protect your personal information and assets.

Today’s episode and article address the myths surrounding job scams.

Today’s job market is splintered. An example is if you divide the job market into public and private sectors, the public sector faces a greater possibility of mass layoffs. The 22,000 already laid off are reportedly a fraction of the proposed layoffs, which are subject to change according to current court submissions and are now headed to the Supreme Court for review.

There are always parts of the job market are more vulnerable than others, and scammers know the industries are subject to slow hiring and mass layoffs.

Let’s bust the myths below:

1. If a job offer comes from a well-known company, it should be legitimate.

Aside from knowing companies don’t offer jobs to people they’ve never formally interviewed and verified, first, check to see if the company is legitimate. Check out to see if the link is legit using whois.com. They will display the company’s owner and the year it was established, as well as when it’s set to expire. Big companies would never use Gmail to conduct any business, including hiring.

2. The recruiter needs your banking information upfront to set up your payments in time for you to start.

Recruiters do not ask for your banking information. Most of them are not involved in payroll. Why would they ask for your personal banking information if they are not sure they would hire you, yet?

3. You can trust the big job sites like LinkedIn or Indeed!

Scammers have successfully posted fake job listings in the names of actual companies and hiring managers, or a fictitious name. To avoid applying to a phony company, visit the company’s official job website to ensure the same job is posted and submit your application there.

4. Scams only happen to those who are desperate or inexperienced job seekers.

Many intelligent, tech-savvy, and conscientious people have been scammed more than once. If you’re desperate, it’s more challenging because the fake job offers appear real, and it’s appealing if you’re financially vulnerable.

5. Scams are often easy to spot due to spelling or grammatical mistakes.

Many people can catch grammar and spelling errors if they saturate the text. Yes, professional communication should be error-free. It’s a red flag if there are subtle spelling errors in the URL ([email protected]) or company name.

6. If they know my resume, it must be real.

You should always ask how they would get your resume, especially if you don’t have it publicly displayed. Some will say online recruiters recommended your resume, but the punchline is simple: Recruiters don’t work that way. It’s possible they found it on an online job board, but if you haven’t updated it in years, would it make sense to you?

7. Government jobs are scam-proof.

Currently, there is a surge of government job scams infiltrating email and text communications. Resumes for government employment are required to include the entire work history on the document. Since scammers are primarily interested in obtaining your personal information, they often use fake resumes and career services to encourage you to send your current federal resume for analysis and write you a new one, ultimately to use it for future schemes.

8. I’m safe because I don’t apply for shady jobs.

These are famous last words for those who take needed vigilance lightly or for granted. The scams aren’t immediately evident. Scammers use very persuasive language to appeal to victims based on their current emotional state. No one is safe from an appealing job offer if they are experiencing long-term unemployment or underemployment.

9. I didn’t give them money, so I’m safe.

The scammer wants your personal information and any other personally identifiable data they can get. They can use this information for years to come. They can get it in several ways:

* If you have gone to their fake employment site, they could install spyware to see and scrape passwords

* If you gave them any financial or banking information or passwords for ACH transfers.

* Suppose you gave them your Social Security Number (SSN). Even if you provided your last four digits of your SSN, it makes you vulnerable.

10. I’ll know it’s a scam if they ask weird questions.

Depending on your definition of ‘weird questions,’ victims reported they’ve experienced thorough questioning. On the other hand, stop the interviewer when they ask evasive personal information at the beginning.

11. Scams only target online job seekers.

In-person scams are where it all begins, and continue to be prevalent. Many of them start online, but when a scammer obtains the necessary information, they will direct them to abandoned buildings or fake addresses. The victim has already surrendered their trust because of the promise of an in-person interview.

12. If I block or ignore them, that’s the end of it.

Context is everything, so let’s dig deeper. When you block and report on one channel of communication, it doesn’t mean it applies to all. It’s great you blocked the fake text job offer, but if you’re on LinkedIn, they’re also attempting to use fake job offers there through a fake account. And if you blocked and reported a LinkedIn account, it doesn’t mean they won’t have other accounts they use to promote their fake jobs.

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Add these Substacks for helpful job search advice!

The Job Hopper:

The Art of Finding Work:

Dorothy Dalton: Future Perfect, Work and Careers

LinkedIn Locked:

Random Recruiter:

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