Every week it seems a new scam is in the news. There are millions of ways criminals use the internet to access your data, money, and identity, and reports show that 47% of Americans experienced financial identity theft in 2020.
We’ve all had mandatory seminars at work on avoiding viruses and not falling victim to scams spread through our emails and dubious websites. By now, we know not to click a link, give personal information, or open an attachment from anyone we don’t know. But what if the email comes from someone a candidate wants to get to know, like a recruiter?
Job searches are stressful to begin with, and now candidates have to contend with a new challenge: the recruiter scam. This scam is particularly troubling because the criminals are willing to play the long game. The scammers target job seekers who have posted their resumes to legitimate sites, so the scammer begins the ruse with a great deal of knowledge about their victim.
The victim often has a sense of urgency and is slightly vulnerable, depending on how badly he or she needs the job. When any of us are desperate or in need, we tend to let down our guard and become agreeable to requests made by those who can help us, in this case, the (fake) recruiter.
To stay safe, it's important to be aware of the signs that could indicate a scammer. As a member of the recruitment community, you can also help protect against these scams by keeping an eye out for potential red flags. Here are five key warning signs to watch out for when evaluating potential recruiters:
Candidates need to read emails from recruiters very carefully. Like with any scam that originates with an email, the email may be poorly written, with misspelled words and incorrect grammar. While a typo can happen occasionally, an email with multiple mistakes is a red flag.
Additionally, candidates need to scrutinize any email that comes from a free or public account, like Gmail, Yahoo, or HotMail. Most legitimate recruiters will be using a business email, either from the company that has posted the job or from an outside recruiting agency. In any event, job seekers should be able to find the company and assess its legitimacy.
Unfortunately, as we know, criminals can create fake user profiles or link to legitimate profiles claiming someone else’s identity, a classic “catfish” scheme. If an InMail or email is questionable, the candidate should try to find the recruiter on LinkedIn or other social media and be sure there are no duplicate profiles. Job seekers should politely reach out to the recruiter to confirm the legitimacy of the communication they were sent. Good recruiters will appreciate their caution.
You want to ensure your candidate is confident that you are a legitimate recruiter, so always use email best practices with your outreach:
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Recruiting Outreach Email Templates that Convert
We’d all like to believe we can do anything we put our minds to, but the truth is a recruiter is looking for a specific candidate to fill a precise role. The recruiter has a list of qualifications and experience that they are looking for in a candidate, and these skills align with the job description.
Warning! Recruiter scams are becoming more and more common. Check out our top five recruiter scam warning signs and how you, as a part of the recruiter community, can help:Click to TweetIf a recruiter wants to speak with a candidate about a job that doesn’t fit with their experience and skills, their spidey senses should begin to tingle. Further, the salary should not be “too good to be true.”
Average salaries for the role are available to find on numerous websites. It may be flattering when a recruiter tells someone that they are qualified for numerous positions or that they are worth far more than the market average, but candidates have to be honest with themselves when they know the job or salary aren’t a fit.
Good recruiters follow broad-spectrum candidate sourcing approaches in order to find top candidates with diverse backgrounds. Candidates should know why you are approaching them and how they can be an asset to your company:
Pro Tip: Download our Guide to Writing Better Job Descriptions
Your Guide To Writing Better Job Descriptions
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a significant rise in remote work and professionals starting a job without visiting the company’s office. Moreover, some firms no longer have office space to visit! However, even if the company doesn’t have an office, this doesn’t mean a prospective candidate shouldn’t see their new colleagues, supervisor, or executive team.
Technology allows us to have meetings across the globe where we see each other through our Zoom, Teams, or other video conferencing tools. In almost no case would a candidate interview for a job and only communicate with the recruiter and hiring manager via email or even via email and a phone call. Anyone hiring a serious candidate for a legitimate job will want to meet the candidate in person, even if in-person means through a virtual/video interview.
Establishing expectations for candidates in the interview and hiring process is essential for a successful recruitment process. Knowing exactly what to expect from the hiring process can help boost candidate experience, providing them with greater clarity on what lies ahead. Setting clear expectations helps ensure that all candidates are on the same page, which can ultimately save time and resources for everyone involved.
A recruiter should be able to answer almost all of a candidate’s questions about the role or the company. If the recruiter does not know an answer, they should honestly say that they do not know, name the person or position who has the information, and give a specific timeline to get the answer.
From time to time, a search may be confidential, and if a third-party search firm conducts it, the recruiter may only have the basic information to screen candidates. However, even in this case, a recruiter should not be evasive or hesitant. If the recruiter sounds like they are lying or making up information as they go along that just doesn’t add up, it’s a red flag!
Top candidates are going to have questions. It is your job to be an expert on the company and the role. Be prepared when candidates ask tough questions.
Candidates should never be asked for money, social security numbers, copies of a passport, bank accounts, or other personal information in an interview process. If a recruiter asks for anything like this, candidates should feel empowered to end the interview process immediately. In some cases, scammers have been known to request someone’s phone or laptop in order to conduct updates or add an app.
Candidates should never send a recruiter any personal device or document through the mail. If a recruiter sends a link or an attached document in an email, job seekers would be wise to check the link’s domain and run security software for viruses before they open any attached document.
With some roles, international travel may be required. A recruiter may ask if a candidate has a passport. This is reasonable, but they do not need to see it. Likewise, job seekers may be asked if they are United States citizens or if they need a work visa. This is also a reasonable question, but no official documents should be shared until after an offer letter is signed and the onboarding has begun.
It goes without saying: get to know your candidate, but don’t be “creepy!” You want the candidate to trust you, so it’s important to ask the right questions. But be sure to keep it professional.
The Recruiter Scam is particularly worrisome because these scammers are willing to invest time in their victims. The very nature of an interview process is to get to know one another through multiple conversations where personal and professional information is shared.
IQTalent will never ask for money, bank account information, social security numbers, or personal documents during an interview process. Beware of impersonators!
If you know candidates who have fallen victim to a recruiter scam or identity theft, have them contact the company the recruiter is representing immediately. If they’ve given any information to a recruiter that they now believe may be a criminal, contact the police and report identity theft. It may be necessary to close bank accounts and credit cards.
Job seekers: stay vigilant and keep your guard up. Good recruiters will understand that you want to verify the job opportunity, and they will respect you for it.
Work with a firm that values your reputation and your candidates’ security. Learn more by scheduling a call with our team of experts today!