4 Signs That Job Offer Is A Scam

As seen on Forbes.

As a natural consequence of our highly connected world, internet scams have become rampant these days. Whether it’s real estate, e-commerce, finance, you name it — scammers have found ways to weaponize the wealth of information available online to rob people of their hard-earned cash.

And now in 2024, we have seen these scams start to trickle into the job market and take advantage of candidates who are eager for opportunities. Most of these attempts at scamming people are very transparent, while others are harder to spot. Here are four red flags to help you spot a scam job offer.

The Application Process Was Too Easy

Job hiring can be a long and tedious process for both the applicant and the employer. So if you feel like it was too easy, then it probably wasn’t real. This is especially true if you just happened to receive a job offer without a single interview, or if you only had to talk to one person.

With that said, there’s no real hard and fast rule for hiring processes. Some companies are content with the usual resume review plus a few rounds of interviews to determine an applicant’s merit. Meanwhile, others like to employ a standard proficiency test to ensure a certain level of competency before even inviting candidates to an interview.

So to get a job offer handed to you without so much as a Zoom interview? That is definitely a red flag. Even if you were headhunted, or someone from the inside specifically referred you to the hiring manager, you would still need to pass a few rounds of interviews before getting the formal offer.

If the company is a stranger to you and you felt the whole process felt like a breeze, then it’s probably best to temper your expectations.

The Email Address Seems Suspicious

Email providers have come a long way in terms of security features. But one scam that’s still relatively successful in deceiving people and evading spam filters is email spoofing. 

Email spoofing refers to sending emails from an email address purposely made to look like official correspondence from well-known companies. This is a very common tactic for scammers who target the customers of financial institutions like banks or e-commerce websites, who aim to gain sensitive information such as login credentials or financial details.

Unfortunately, the tactic is also very common in job offer scams, as it’s really easy to create an email address for anything. The common trick is to introduce slight variations to an official email address to entice an unsuspecting reader.

For example, if someone was trying to spoof an email from me and my coaching company Workhap, they might use an email address such as “sho.dewan@workhop.com” or “sho@workhapp.com” (for the record these are NOT my email addresses) to fool people into thinking that they are communicating with me.

These variations are easy to spot if you know me and my business beforehand. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said if you’ve never communicated with me or my team members before. So always be careful, and be on the lookout for other red flags.

They Ask You To Pay For Equipment

No matter what your industry is, jobs always work one way: you get paid a certain agreed-upon amount for specific services rendered. Whatever you do, never pay for the opportunity to work.

If the company asks you for money in exchange for anything at all, then that’s a sure sign that you’re being scammed. Common tactics include making you pay for your own work equipment, asking for extra fees for supposed training programs, or requesting payment upfront to “reserve” your spot.

My advice? Cut ties with these people immediately, and warn others from engaging with them.

They Ask For Sensitive Information 

It’s not entirely unexpected for employers to ask for personal information. Usually, employers will ask for some form of identification, especially when conducting background checks or completing paperwork for tax purposes.

However, they generally will not do it at the earliest stages of the process. Be wary of giving out sensitive information such as your social security number, security questions, or bank information very early on, as these can be used to commit identity theft or fraud.

It’s also a good idea to contact the company directly via contact information obtained from their official website or verified LinkedIn pages. Verify the identity of the person you’re talking to, and clarify why they’re asking for your information. You can never be too careful, and legitimate companies will understand your concerns. 

Happy job hunting, and be on the lookout for these red flags!