10 Ways How To Spot a Job Scam

 Straight out of campus, I wanted to land my first job as soon as possible. So, as any other graduate out there I didn’t give much thought to the job ads that I could find especially on the internet. My work was to apply, apply and apply some more.

Imagine my joy when I answered my phone after making an application and someone on the other side said… “Tabitha, I would like to inform you that you have been shortlisted for the job vacancy which you applied for this morning.”

I could feel my heart beat fast and you should have seen my face then, I was all smiles as I received the good news. I mean it only took them a few hours to get back to me!

“However, we will need your bank account number, ID number for filing and you have to send 1500 shillings through M-Pesa to serve as the recruitment fee before you can show up in our offices for the interview.”

I didn’t have Sh1, 500 then but I said I would send the money and email them my personal information as soon as I hanged up. Sh1, 500 was not going to stand in the way of me landing a job.

“Ati elfu moja na miatano?” (What do you mean Shs1500?) My mum asked after narrating what had just happened. I could feel my heart sink as she told me there was no way I was sending that kind of money to a stranger. “They are thieves. Haven’t you heard how people are losing money to such people nowadays?”

She asked for my phone and dialed the number which had contacted me but it was now ‘mteja’. Days later when I tried the number again it was still “mteja”

Moral of the story…I was too naïve and desparate for a job that were it not for my mother, I would have sent the money and have emailed the goons my personal information.

Don’t be caught up in the same situation.

Here is how you can tell that a certain job is a scam.

1.You get the job right away. After hours after  applying, the ‘interviewer’ immediately contacts you to offer you the job.

2.The job advert is too vague on the job requirements and job description

3.Most job scams will have unprofessional emails. If the email contains spelling, capitalization, punctuation or grammatical mistakes, be on your guard.

4. They will ask you to provide confidential information such as ID number or bank information for them to be able to  set up direct deposit or transfer money to your account.

5. They want you to pay for something. Most scammers will ask you to pay for a chance to get shortlisted.

6. The job advert has a job with a title that doesn’t match the description.

7. They use strange sentences or misspellings.

8.They don’t provide contact information. A quality job advert will tell you who to email or give you a valid company website.

9.If the job description has a bunch of exclamation points and promises high income in one week. You have seen most of this advert with …NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED…HIGH PAY!!!

10. One huge indication of a scam is a job which offers a great deal of money or benefits which are much more that what is normal for that job. By doing this, the scammer attracts more victims.

Be Wise, make it a habit to vet jobs before applying.