Watch out for job scamming

Romance scamming is now widely known to the general public: fraudsters use fake identities to contact people on dating sites, try to develop a relationship with them that only exists online, and over time ask their victims for large sums of money.

This type of fraud is now also found in the job market. Job scamming involves fraudulent activities in which criminals fake job offers in order to obtain personal data or exploit people financially.

How does job scamming work?

Criminals manage to place their job advertisements even on reputable job portals. The job offers stand out with above-average salaries, flexible working hours and, in particular, remote work.

There are different ways in which people can be harmed:

1. Advance payments: Applicants are asked to pay money in advance for alleged identity checks, training or materials. Once the payment has been made, the fraudsters disappear.
2. Theft of personal data: Personal information and bank details are requested during the application process. This data can then be used for identity theft or unauthorised transactions.
3. Money laundering: Applicants are recruited to receive and forward payments, often without knowing that they are involved in illegal activities such as money laundering.

Already in the job and already cheated

Deception can also occur once you are already employed.

Those affected report that they received seemingly legitimate employment contracts – at first glance, these appeared credible and legally sound.

Their work from home consisted of testing websites, including those of banks. As part of these ‘tests,’ they were instructed to open bank accounts and apply for loans in their own names, ostensibly to test the user-friendliness of the websites. However, the money disappeared – as did the supposed employer – leaving behind the loan to be repaid.

How can you protect yourself?

What can you do to protect yourself from such dubious job offers?

- Research the employer thoroughly: Check reviews online, contact details such as address and telephone number, find people who also work there (LinkedIn and other platforms).

- Do not disclose sensitive data at an early stage. If you are asked for identification documents, bank details, etc. relatively quickly without having received an employment contract, be cautious.

- Check the communication with the other party very carefully. AI offers many possibilities, but always check job advertisements and contact with potential employers for correct wording and clear language without errors.

- Be careful with video identification procedures for video calls or similar.

- If you feel that an advertisement is dubious, contact the job board or check whether you can already report the advertisement online.

Already a member of Angestellte Schweiz?

As an employee association, we cannot protect you from dubious job advertisements – you need to be vigilant yourself – but we offer you free legal advice, extensive training and a large network of events and contacts when you become a member.