How to Spot an Employment Scam

How to Spot an Employment Scam

The employment landscape is evolving, which makes employment opportunities more varied but also increases the likelihood of employment scams. Knowing the warning signs of common employment scams can help you spot and avoid them. And if you are facing an employment law concern, one of the most important first steps you can take is to consult with an experienced San Francisco employment law attorney.

Prime Examples of Job Scams

Two of the most prevalent categories of job scams include the following:

• Working from Home – Many in search of employment are interested in jobs they can do from home, and a popular scam is offering good pay for work, such as data entry, rebate processing, assembly, and reselling. Such scams tend to be predicated on requiring applicants to pay for unnecessary registration fees or training.
• Working for the Government – Another common scam is the promise of working for the federal government or the United States Postal Service. If the offer requires a fee or is selling study guides that are designed to help you qualify, it’s a scam. 

Telltale Signs that the Job Offer Is a Scam

Scammers are innovative, and their practices evolve, which makes remaining hyper-vigilant to scammers critical. There are some signs, however, that are often indicative of employment scams, including:

• The employer comes to you and says they found you online. Most jobs require interested employees to apply for specific jobs – other than in highly specific recruitment situations.
• You’re offered the job prior to applying or interviewing. An employer who skips these primary steps is far more likely to be a scammer. 
• The ever-expanding internet allows scammers more opportunities to scam, including both make-believe employers and fake accounts for legitimate enterprises. If the website or social media account is brand new or strikes you as being incomplete, consider it a warning sign. 
• If you’re required to install proprietary software that is alien to you in order to take an interview, it should give you pause. 
• If the language used in the job post strikes you as unprofessional, sloppy, or off, it’s highly unlikely that it comes from an official source. 
• The email correspondence you receive from a prospective employer or recruitment office should be directly associated with the business in question – not a generic Google or Yahoo address.  
• If the person you’re corresponding with requests an interview using a message or chat service other than the usual sources, such as Zoom and Skype, there’s a good chance they’re masking their identity. 
• If you’re required to pay money in order to work from home, such as for the equipment you need to begin, consider it a serious red flag.   

An Experienced San Francisco Employment Law Attorney Is on Your Side

Jeannette Vaccaro at The Law Office of Jeannette A. Vaccaro in San Francisco is a practiced employment law attorney with a wealth of experience successfully guiding challenging employment law claims toward advantageous outcomes, and she’s here for you, too. Learn more by reaching out and contacting us today.