How To Spot Job Scammers And Tips To Avoid Them

Beware: Job Scammers Are on the Rise

Getting a job in Canada is exciting. For many of us, it is the first step in realizing our dream to work in Canada. Finally, we can make money and afford the lifestyle we wished for. Unfortunately, there are others who want to make money off of our dreams – job scammers.

Job scams are on the rise and in Canada, it is no different. CBC reported that Canadians lost $90 million dollars to scammers in 2017.

The more jobs are created, the more scammers there are to trick you out of your hard-won cash. These people promise to give you a high paying job, even if you do not have the experience.

They sweeten the deals as much as possible, say no interviews are needed and that the job is guaranteed. However, there is always a catch – money.

What Do Job Scammers Do

The goals of job scammers are to steal your personal information and your hard earned money. They offer you the most amazing job opportunity, that almost feels too good to be true. Once you follow their terms; however, the company vanishes into thin air with your money.

The biggest problem is that it is becoming more difficult to tell scammers apart from real job opportunities.

Our guide to avoiding scammers will protect your money and information from troubling thieves. Follow these tips and tricks to find work in Canada and avoid job scammers.

Man walking off of cliff while looking at money

How to Spot Job Scammers

High Salary: If a job offers you much more than what you can normally expect from the work, it is likely to be a scam.

Offers with no interviews: Most jobs, if not all require a round of interviews. If you are offered a job from a company that does not want to meet you, you should be careful.

No work experience: If a company promises you a skilled job with no work experience required, it is probably too good to be true.

Spelling and grammatical mistakes: Be careful of emails and websites with many grammatical and spelling mistakes. Unprofessional work is often a sign that something is not right with the company.

Cost and fees: Employers will never ask you to pay for a job interview. Avoid these offers at all costs. Look out for processing or job application fees.

Personal information: Do not hand over personal information like social security numbers, credit card details etc. Scammers may use these to steal your identity. Only after you have been hired should banking details be exchanged.

Fish hook pulling money out of a laptop

Tips to avoid job scammers

Read carefully: Read all the information they give you carefully and try to spot anything that seems out of place, like payments and job duties.

Do research: Google is your best friend. Read more about the company and check for user reviews. If you are looking for reviews, make sure to look across social media platforms for a thorough search.

Scam lists: Check if the company has already been reported as a scammer. Organizations like the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau are useful for this.

Fake Websites: Many scammers use fake URLs to pretend to be other real companies. Check that you are always on the correct website.

Job Scammers Target Immigrants

Job scammers know that people who want to work in Canada need jobs. They will pretend to offer you employment that will make it easier for you to immigrate to Canada, but your dreams may also be crushed by them.

If you suspect that a company is a scam, be sure to contact organizations like the Federal Trade Commission or the Better Business Bureau.

Together we can put a stop to job scammers and make it easier for everyone to find work in Canada.