ACCC warns jobseekers of recruitment scams

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) urges jobseekers to watch out for scammers. Its new Scamwatch data showed that Australians lost more than $8.7 million to recruitment scams in 2022.

Scamwatch is a website run by the ACCC that provides information to consumers and small businesses about recognising, avoiding, and reporting scams.

The website advised Australian jobseekers to protect their personal information when applying for jobs and beware of job offers made through social media platforms or messaging services such as Whatsapp.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to recruitment scams, with people aged between 25 and 44 reporting the biggest losses.

“Thousands of young Australians have finished school and graduated from university with high hopes about their future careers and the intention to look for work in the new year. Unfortunately, they are being targeted by scammers,” said ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard.

“If you are job hunting and are offered work that requires little effort for a big financial reward, it is most likely a scam. This might include repeatedly clicking a button on a website or app to purchase products or submit reviews.”

The ACCC's Scamwatch received over 3,194 reports of job scams in the past year, with many victims lured by the promise of making money quickly. Specifically, scammers pretend to hire people on behalf of high-profile companies and online shopping platforms or impersonate well-known recruitment agencies and then ask for payment in exchange for a guaranteed income.

“In the final months of 2022, we saw a significant uptick in reports and losses associated with recruitment scams, and we are concerned these scammers will continue to ramp up their efforts as people look for work in the new year,” Rickard said.

Protection against scams

The ACCC's tips for avoiding scams:

• Stop: Take your time before giving money or personal information.
• Think: Ask yourself if the message or call could be fake.
• Protect: Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank and report scams to Scamwatch.

The ACCC's tips on protecting yourself against recruitment scams:

• Never send money or give your personal information, credit card, online bank, or cryptocurrency account details to anyone you do not know, especially if you have only met them online, through email, or over the phone.
• Avoid any arrangement that asks for up-front payment via bank transfer, PayID, or cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin because it is rare to recover money sent this way.
• Be suspicious if the role is offered to you without an interview or discussion about your experience, suitability, and references.
• Be cautious of recruiters that contact you via encrypted message platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram because scammers usually use them.
• Know who you are dealing with. Research the recruiter and the business or individual offering the position and contact the recruitment agency via phone numbers sourced from an independent internet search.
• Do not be pressured to act quickly because a legitimate offer will not require you to make an immediate decision. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Do not trust the legitimacy of a job ad just because it appears on a trusted platform or website – scammers post fake ads, too. If you come across a scammer, report it to the platform or agency.
• Do not take payment or rewards to recruit other people into a scheme.
• Do not transfer money, make purchases, or receive packages on behalf of someone else; you could be committing a criminal offence, for example, money laundering.
• Protect your personal information. Only give your information to legitimate recruitment firms and ensure you understand their privacy policy. Be careful how much personal information you put in your resume, such as your physical address or date of birth.
• Remember to update passwords to your online accounts regularly and use strong passwords or passphrases.

The ACCC's Scamwatch continues to work with other government agencies, law enforcement, and the private sector to share intelligence, bring down scams, advocate for consumers, and raise awareness in the community.