Ways to identify a fake job advertisement

Spotted an advertisement for a job that sounds too good to be true? Here’s how to find out if it's legitimate or a scam.

The internet is rife with possibilities but it also has its fair share of fake job postings, which can come from anywhere.

Some of these companies seem fairly legitimate and even have a well-established web presence. Here’s how you can watch out for the warning signs of a fake job advertisement.

Companies asking for payment

When the lockdown happened, Bangalore-based Anusha Sharma, who had a few months of experience working for a well-known home services startup, started a frantic job hunt. After registering on a well-known job portal, she started receiving calls from potential recruiters. One recruiter got in touch with a lucrative job offer to transcribe content. The payment seemed excellent but there was a catch: Anusha had to pay the company a token amount of Rs 6,000 in order to get the job.

“At first, I was adamant and told them that I cannot pay,” she says.

“They backtracked and told me that I can pay an amount of Rs. 1100. The company had a proper website and it didn’t look suspicious at all. I was keen to get a job and so I agreed. I received 100 pages to work on. I submitted the work and then never heard from them again. I tried calling, leaving messages and mails. I even complained to the cybercrimes unit in Bangalore and then I saw that on their website, they replaced all their contact information with new numbers.”

Any job that asks you to pay any amount, big or small, is a definite scam. Recruiters may tell you that there is an application or a registration fee. Remember, no trustworthy or legitimate company asks you for money in return for a job.

Typos and spurious content

When a job listing contains typos, grammatical errors and poorly written content, be wary. Bad content is an absolute giveaway.

When job postings have generic email addresses, stock images and no photos of the company’s building and actual location, be wary.

What about the recruiter or the person who called you? Do they communicate clearly and professionally? Does the company have a profile on LinkedIn?

You can also check if a company is a legitimate one by searching for its details on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs website. You can find out additional details, including the activity of the company, the names of the directors and other details by visiting Zauba Corp. Remember to ask for the company’s registered name when interacting with them.

It is important to look for well-written and concise job descriptions with proper contact information and links to the job listing on the company’s website. Make sure you can find out more about the recruiter or the hiring manager who got in touch with you or whose contact details are mentioned in the job ad. Is he or she on Google, LinkedIn and other social media channels? If you cannot find details about them anywhere, it is time to be on your guard and investigate more.

Remember, there are employers who outsource hiring agencies to fill in their positions. Some employers also want to ascertain the current talent pool or build a backup of resumes for the future. The downside to this is that you can get added to email lists and receive spam.

Don’t disclose personal information

If a job advertisement asks for personal information of any kind, walk away.

It is understandable to share your email address and phone number for the sake of getting in touch. It is not a good idea to disclose your bank account details, your identity numbers or Aadhar card number. With identity thefts on the rise, it is important to protect your information. Some offices ask for your details in the pretext of sending you equipment to work from home. Typically, the process of asking for your personal details does not kick in until you have finalised an offer and you are clear that the company is a legitimate one.

Too good to be true

There are jobs that sound too good to be true. These are job listings or ads that say “100% genuine payments”, “unlimited earnings” or “earn up to a lakh when sitting at home.”

It is unrealistic to expect a job to pay huge amounts of money for a minimal amount of work. Even if it is a legitimate business, you might find yourself with crazy business targets and other conditions that apply. It is important to verify job sites that you use and check their privacy policies very carefully.

In these uncertain times, young job hunters are vulnerable to exploitation. It is important to make sure you have your back and get the right foothold in the industry of your choice. Trust your instinct and look for the red flags when you see them.