The rise of jobfishing
The article reads: “In jobfishing scams skilled, experienced professionals are taken in by fake companies and asked to pay money or share personal details before starting work. However, the impacts go beyond the financial. McLean shares that identity fraud was committed 2.5 times per minute during lockdown.
“The repercussions are terrible because not only can you lose money, you can have your identity stolen or completely derail your career,” McLean continues. “How does working for a fake company look on your CV? How does it make you feel about going for future roles? What does it do to your confidence and mental health? Jobfishing can take so much of your key information away from you, which can then be used in identity fraud or sold on.””
How to avoid being “jobfished”
The article finishes with Victoria’s thoughts on how to avoid the scammers:
“Doing your due diligence about a company, their values and culture should be a natural part of your job hunting experience. But there are some extra checks you can conduct to help you spot a fake job ad.
“You shouldn’t need to provide any personal details, such as bank account, national insurance number or passport until you start or receive a formal contract,” says McLean.
Always check the fine print details of a job. Are they listed on Companies House? Do they have a website and accurate domain name? Google the company name plus “scam” and see if anything comes up.
It’s also worth considering whether you heard about the job from a reputable source, remembering that often anyone can post on social media or a job forum without much of a background check.
Don’t forget to ask your contacts if they know anything about the company. If no-one in the industry or your network has heard of them, it could be a red flag.”
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