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🚨 There has been an increase in Employment fraud across Kent 🚨 Have you recently received a message through social media or a messaging app from a recruiter offering you a new job, claiming they can make you rich quickly, and offering you incredibly high salaries for part-time hours and/or require you to make an upfront payment to secure work? Employment fraud happens when a criminal claims to be a recruitment agent, hiring you for a job - that doesn’t exist. Criminals will ask you to fill out a questionnaire or provide personal information about yourself and ask you to pay money to them as an administration fee! Protect yourself against employment fraud:Be suspicious of job offers that seem too good to be true, criminals promise high salaries and luxurious benefits for minimal work!Be cautious if you are being contacted by recruiters by SMS/WhatsApp without prior communication and consent, or from an unverified account. If you receive a job offer out of the blue, from an unknown contact, be cautious. Be wary of job offers that immediately ask you to provide personal information, such as bank details or a photocopy of your driving license or passport. Genuine employers typically gather such information later in the hiring process. Check any job advertisements or documents for poor spelling and grammar – this is often a sign that criminals are at work.Do not be rushed into making a decision. Criminals use tactics such as creating a false sense of urgency to pressure victims into making quick decisions. They may say things like “This opportunity will not last long”. Take time to research and evaluate job offers.Pay attention to how the recruiter communicates. Genuine companies typically do not contact us from an email address from generic email accounts - beware if the employer or agent contacts you from an email address such as @Yahoo or @Hotmail Be suspicious if the entire hiring process happens through messaging without any face-to-face or video interviews. Genuine employers want to meet their potential candidates in person or via video chat!📣 Remember, a professional employer/agency will not ask you for money to work for them! 📣 The ABC of fraud prevention: Never ASSUME – Never assume a call/email/ text/message is genuine.
Never BELIEVE – Never believe a call/email/ text/message is genuine – Scammers may ‘spoof’ official telephone numbers and emails, for example, the call display may show your banks telephone number, or the email may appear genuine.
Always CONFIRM – Always confirm if the call/email/ text/message is genuine – Ask for identification ( Name, Branch, employee number etc). Tell the caller you will hang up and call back to confirm. Call the bank on the number shown on their website using a different phone, or wait at least 10 minutes. Ask if it was a genuine call. If you are unsure, ask family or friends. Have a lovely weekend, and stay safe! Emily Jenner 61435 Fraud Prevention Co-Ordinator
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