Fraudsters lure job seekers with fake remote jobs

Whether full-time or part-time, job-from-home ads are still in high demand, especially as more companies ask employees to return to the office in 2023.

Unfortunately, scammers pay attention to this.

If you’re looking on popular job sites, the Federal Trade Commission urges caution.

Tracy Bickel landed her dream job a few weeks ago while working remotely for a biotech company in Ireland.

She posted her resume on a job site.

“I got a private message and that’s how it all started,” she said.

After answering a few questions in a text interview with their recruiter, she landed a job as a patient liaison.

“I would stand between the patients and the company itself,” she said.

The company sent her a link to the contract and she signed it online with her social security number and all her personal information.

Almost immediately, she was sent a check for almost $5,000 to buy a computer and get started. She was delighted, but everything changed when she went to the bank.

“The bank said it was a scam,” she said. “They don’t believe this company exists.”

All of this was a scam. The biotech company is real, but the “recruiter” who contacted it didn’t actually work for the company.

Her dream was gone and the scammer had her social security number.

Warning signs of remote work scams

With recent layoffs in the tech industry, the FTC has warned that scammers go to great lengths to obtain job seekers’ personal information.

The FTC says they will:

• Creation of fake websites, often copying the website of a legitimate company.
• Conduct fake job interviews, usually via text messages or email.
• Set up fake employee onboarding portals

Tony Frana of FlexJobs notes that scammers can be very persuasive.

“It’s not even a real job, but it will encourage people to apply,” she said.

Frana says the first red flag of any remote work scam is receiving a message through social media or instant messaging apps like Telegram or WhatsApp.

She says that real business should only be handled from company accounts.

“Legal companies send emails to job seekers and candidates from company email addresses,” Frana said.

red flags

• Grammatical errors
• Urgent job offer
• Cash advance request
• Sending a large check before starting work

Frana says that when applying for a remote job, ask for a face-to-face interview. If the company refuses, Fana said it was a wake-up call.
“It may not be in person, but you definitely want to be able to have a verbal conversation, whether it be on the phone, via Zoom with video,” she said.

In a face-to-face interview, you can quickly figure out if the person who hired you is who they say they are.

A recent FlexJobs survey showed that 65% of people would like to work remotely full time.

But be careful because this whole dream company can be fake even if they say the right things.

“They seemed perfectly legal,” Bickel said. “They crossed out all their T’s and dotted theirs. It’s amazing”.

So keep a close eye on any potential employer and be suspicious of chat or text interviews so you don’t waste your money.

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