Dive Brief:
- An increasing number of new generation job seekers are falling prey to scammers and hackers, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. Khawar Latif, a 25-year-old domain registration business owner in Pakistan, suspected fraud when he received an invitation from someone to talk about an opportunity in the financial sector. After contacting the proper authorities, it was discovered that the person was not associated in any way with the company he was representing. Latif's smart action prevented him from becoming the next victim of a hacker attack.
- Another job seeker, 27-year old Sydney Wang from CA, was duped into spending $30,000 on fake office supplies by a fraudulent company using the name of S.M.L. Digital Agency.
- According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, tens of thousands of people are targeted by scammers every year in an attempt to obtain personal information. Better Business Bureau director of communications Katherine Hutt told WSJ that an increasing number of job seekers under the age of 35 are being targeted by scammers. It's easier for them to get this information because of the use of online job search tools and social media sites.
Dive Insight:
Fraud in the job market is everyone's business. Employers need to be careful that they don't give out sensitive information about the company or employees when dealing with other entities. Job seekers and employees need to be educated and mindful about the various types of scams out there. From phishing emails and fake job advertisements to scammers using social networks and phone calls to go after unsuspecting individuals, cyber risks change by the week.
Scams are particularly popular around the holiday hiring season, but they can happen at anytime. The WannaCry ransomware attack spooked employers nationwide, as a single employee opening a fraudulent email could have had cascading effects throughout the organization.
The Federal Trade Commission has a great resource for spotting job related scams.
