Job Offer Scams

creative commons

The "job offer scam" or "employment scam" involves fraudulent individuals or organizations posing as employers to deceive job seekers into providing sensitive identity and financial data. Providing personal information like your Social Security number, bank account details, or copies of identification documents can put you at risk of identity theft or further fraudulent activities. Scammers send documents such as coding challenges that download malware to the victim's computer and network. 

  • Be cautious if you receive a job offer without actively applying for the position or conducting a proper interview process. Legitimate employers typically follow a standard recruitment process.
  • The scammer will press for personal identifiable information (PII) early in the "job offer process" in order to use your PII to steal your identity. See Identity Theft for how scammers can exploit your PII.
  • Scammers often provide vague job descriptions or requirements that seem too good to be true. They may promise high salaries or positions with minimal qualifications or experience.
  • Be wary if the employer asks for “advanced fees” or payment upfront for training materials, background checks, or processing fees. Legitimate employers generally do not require candidates to pay for these expenses. 
  • It can be a red flag if the employer primarily communicates through personal email accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) rather than official company email addresses.  Legitimate recruiters will use corporate communiction channels. 
  • Another red flag is when the interviewer conducts a job interview with their video turned off.  Beware that advances in artificial intelligence can enable scammers to mimic actual recruiters in a video meeting. 
  • The scammer may send you a check to deposit in your account. The deposit will appear in your bank balance, but after a week, the check fails to clear, and the deposit is canceled by your bank.  Meanwhile, the scammer may claim the check was an overpayment and ask you to pay them back the “overage” by check, gift cards, Western Union, or cash.
  • Sometimes scammers may ask you to order supplies or equipment through a site they control; they charge your credit card and deliver inferior or no goods at all.  See the  Advanced Fee Fraud for more on how this scam works. 
  • Contact the employer through official company email addresses, websites, or phone numbers. Avoid communicating with "recruiters" who use personal email accounts or messaging services. 
  • Verify the recruitment and the recruiter using the information you find for yourself.  Don’t use links or phone numbers the recruiter provided you to validate the job opportunity.
  • Thoroughly research the company offering the job.  Look for an official website, physical address, and contact information.
  • Verify the company's legitimacy through online reviews and reputable sources. For example, find the company on Glassdoor or other sites to verify it's real and obtain the contact information for their human resources department. Then, go to the company’s website and find the phone number of their HR or Security Office. They should match.   
  • Next, explain that you're a candidate for a position with the company, verify that the recruiter you have been talking to is truly a recruiter for that organization, and verify that person is actually handling your specific recruitment action (vs. an imposter posing as that recruiter).
  • If you cannot confirm the validity of the recruiter and recruitment action, you will need to continue with steps to protect your identity and finances.  
  • If the recruiter works for an independent recruiting firm, contact the recruiter's company to verify their employment and that they are handling your specific recruitment.
  • Please report scams to the MCPD’s non-emergency number at 301-279-8000.
  • Review  Fraud Reporting for other reporting options.
  • You may file a complaint with the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (OCP).  Please review OCP’s Frequently Asked Questions before filing.
  • Share your experience with family and friends and on social media platforms to alert others about the scam and prevent them from falling victim.  However, beware that scammers monitor social media to offer  recovery scams, claiming to recover your losses for a fee. 
  • If you have disclosed personally identifiable information during a fake job interview process, review related bank statements, credit reports, and other financial accounts for unauthorized activity.
  • Report any suspicious charges or accounts to the respective institutions.  See Identity Theft for additional ways to protect your finances. 

References: