A massive increase in employment scams, coupled with pre-festive season demands for extra staff in certain sectors, has prompted a new warning from industry experts.
Leading online safety resource Get Safe Online has collaborated with Lloyds Banking Group and JobsAware – which provides help and advice on scams, mistreatment and unfair working practices – to warn seasonal jobseekers to stay alert for this type of fraud over the next few weeks, as they launch a new bespoke Jobseekers’ anti-scam tool centre. It is expected to help thousands in the run up to the busy festive period and can be accessed here: www.getsafeonline.org/safejobseekertools
Fraudsters are expected to target those seeking work in the retail, hospitality, fulfilment/delivery and customer service sectors, amongst others. Scams advertising non-existent remote roles such as liking videos or reviewing hotels are also commonplace.
The warning follows the recent release of figures by Lloyds Banking Group, revealing a startling 237 per cent increase in ‘advanced fee’ employment scams since the start of the year. The figures also revealed that 53 per cent of such scams begin on social media, where criminals post bogus job advertisements or contact victims directly. Most recently, there has been a substantial rise in the number of SMS messages claiming to be from legitimate employers, telling victims that they are a good match for a vacancy.
The average loss per victim is £1,420, with 7 per cent having lost over £5,000 in the previous six months.
In light of this trend, Get Safe Online has joined up with Lloyds Banking Group and Jobs Aware to launch a new Job Seekers Tool Page on their website – featuring seven easy-to-use, free tools to help protect from fraud and other online harms when searching for a job.
Launching during International Fraud Week, the team has garnered support from Simon Fell MP, who will be championing the new tool centre in Parliament on Thursday. With over 200 HR leaders present, it is hoped to achieve industry-wide support from the outset.
Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, said: “The weeks leading up to and including this festive season represent a perfect storm for employment scammers. Every year, they heartlessly exploit honest people who simply want to find work to pay for life’s essentials or put aside a little more for the seasonal holiday. This year, however, the uncertain employment market will lead to people looking for opportunities which they may not normally consider, making them perfect fraud targets.”
Neate continued: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Lloyds Banking Group and JobsAware to make people aware of fraudsters’ tactics and tell the difference between a fake and genuine work opportunity. Our new Job Seekers Tool Page will help individuals as they navigate opportunities and ensure when they apply, they’re not falling for a scam”
The scams typically involve fraudsters asking for money up front for so-called vetting, training or processing fees, or requesting sensitive documents such as passports, proof of right to work in the UK or bank details under the guise of setting up wage payments. They frequently impersonate genuine recruitment agencies or well-known employers, setting up fake websites and adding victims to WhatsApp group chats. Other scams involve fraudsters asking jobseekers to supply confidential details such as National Insurance numbers or scans of their passports, which can be used for other frauds or identity theft.
Keith Rosser, Chair JobsAware, added: “Job scams continue to rise, JobsAware is the largest free platform for work seekers and workers to report scams and issues and, sadly, the number of reports simply continue to increase, especially at a time of high living costs and growing unemployment. This is why we launched the world’s first Online Recruitment Scheme for job boards to comply with the Online Safety Act, but still not enough do. We fully support this new tool to help people everywhere when looking for work, and I have no doubt it will help people fight back against employment scammers.”