Job scams are real: How to spot the red flags as a new grad 

By Toni Frana, Career Expert at Zety.com 

Bad actors trying to take advantage of people who are looking for a job is, unfortunately, not a new thing. However, job scams are becoming more common and getting harder to identify. College students, new grads and early career professionals are especially vulnerable because they often apply to many jobs quickly, while juggling the stress and excitement of graduation, and also may not be entirely familiar with normal hiring practices. In addition, 100% of early career professionals report using social media to help them find a job according to Zety.com, a go-to source for resume templates. Scammers know this, and tend to target the most vulnerable.  

This article is aimed to help new professionals and job seekers learn how to spot red flags in job postings as well as how to protect yourself without becoming cynical about all opportunities presented to you. 

Why new professionals are easy targets

Starting a job search, especially after earning a degree is an exciting time. It’s also a time where many feel financial pressures and an overall general sense of urgency to land a job. These feelings are often exploited by scammers who try to take advantage of inexperienced professionals, especially when it comes to recruiter outreach and onboarding. 

Just last year, the Federal Trade Commission received over 130K reports of job scams, with an estimated loss of over $600 million. Many younger job seekers are encountering these scams and deceptive job postings. Staying alert, informed, and understanding the red flags can help protect yourself from becoming a victim of a job scam. 

Common job scam red flags

To protect yourself against falling for a job scam, here are some red flags that if encountered, require more due diligence before applying or accepting a job: 

• Unsolicited offers: Any job offer you receive when you didn’t actually apply for the job is a red flag. 
• Too-good-to-be-true pay: Entry level roles generally have entry-level pay. A high salary that seems it’s an outlier for the role is concerning.  
• Requests for money: Legitimate employers will not ask for money to pay for equipment, training, or a background check, etc. 
• Pressure to act fast: If the hiring manager expects an immediate response or threatens to pull the offer if you don’t immediately say yes, this is not normal.
• Unprofessional communication: Typos, wording that doesn’t sound right or is clearly AI generated, and non-company email addresses should give you pause. 
• No real interview process: If there is no interview, or it only takes place over an app like WhatsApp or Telegram you should be concerned. 
• Requests for personal information too early: Social Security number, bank details, or being asked to provide ID copies before being onboarded isn’t something employers do. 
• Poor company footprint: If the company is hard to research and there are no social pages or Google doesn’t provide search results, this could be a sign of a fake company. 

How scam tactics work

People who set out to scam job seekers can disguise scam job descriptions as remote roles, administrative, data entry, or campus-friendly, part-time work. Scammers will imitate real companies, creating a mirror website including real logos, similar urls and fake recruiter profiles using real names of company employees. AI tools have helped scammers create these sites and content more easily. While there are usually signs that the site isn’t real (grammar errors, misspellings, etc), the scam sites can be hard to identify, particularly when applying to jobs at a high quantity and working quickly to try and secure a role. 

It isn’t just the job description that can be a scam, either. People could go through an entire hiring process including an interview not realizing they are being scammed. An interview is a hopeful time for a job seeker. As a result, scammers will conduct interviews and provide encouragement, support and positive reinforcement leading many to think they’ll land the job. 

Generally, a job offer is the next step. Once a job offer is sent, scammers  may ask for bank account information in order to get you, as the new employee, set up with required technology. Any attempt to collect information like this before you’ve signed an employment agreement, received a written offer and started onboarding is a big red flag. 

The bottom line is, that if you feel like something is off, move on to the next opportunity. 

Verifying a job opportunity

Verifying legitimate opportunities for employment may take a little extra work, however in the long run, it will save you time and frustration. Here are some tips to ensure the jobs you are interested in are legitimate:

• Research the company website and social pages like LinkedIn. 
• Double check the recruiter’s email address to verify it matches the company domain/email address.
• Search the employer name and add words like “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.”
• Look for the job posting on the company’s own careers page.
• Request an in person (or video) interview if you’ve only communicated via email.
• Verify the recruiter or hiring manager through official company channels.
• Trust your gut if the process feels off, don’t be afraid to back away.

Steps to protect yourself

Arming yourself with research and knowledge is the first step in protecting yourself from falling victim to a job scam. To do that, take these precautions: 

• Never send money to an employer.
• Avoid sharing sensitive information until you’ve verified the company.
• Create an email address for the sole purpose of job searching. 
• Consider implementing two-factor authentication on job-search-related accounts.
• Keep records of any suspicious notes, emails or activity. 
• If something doesn’t feel right, continue researching before replying.

What to do if you think you’ve been targeted

If you’ve been a victim of a scam, immediately stop communication with the company and individuals you’ve been speaking with. Gather relevant emails, job postings, and any other information you have. Report the scam to the job board where you found it, to the company if it was impersonated, and also consider alerting the Better Business Bureau. 

If you shared any personal information, including financial, monitor your accounts and contact your bank to inquire about what the best course of action is. 

Being a target does not mean you were careless or missed something! These scams and scammers are designed not only to be convincing, they are continually getting updated to be harder to spot. 

Starting your career is an exciting and hopeful time, and at the same time, there is stress involved with a job search. Remember though, most employers are legitimate, and with a bit of extra attention to detail, you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of a job scam.