Identifying Suspicious Recruitment Advertisements
The Labour Department reminds job seekers not to readily trust recruitment advertisements that claim “no experience or academic qualifications required” yet offer “high pay and good benefits”, and to consider whether the salary offered for the vacancy and the required criteria are realistic and in line with market levels.
Some fraudsters disguise their activities as recruitment, levying unreasonable fees on job seekers under various pretexts and names, such as registration fees, data processing fees, administrative fees and work permit card fees. Legitimate companies generally do not ask employees to bear any costs.
Beware of Pyramid Selling and Fake Training
Job seekers who find that the work involves commission at each tier (the so-called pyramid selling), and that the goods sold are more expensive than those on the market; or who are asked to pay a large membership fee; and who are persuaded to recruit members (including relatives, friends and classmates) to become their downline staff in order to earn profit, rather than focusing on product sales, should decline the job.
If, during a job search, you are told that you do not meet the entry requirements for the vacancy and must pay for your own training courses or other classes to upgrade your skills before being hired, you should stay alert, as this is likely to be a fake recruitment scheme aimed at defrauding you of your money.
Protecting Personal Data and Property
Some fraudsters disguise their activities as recruitment to obtain important personal data from job seekers, such as identity card, bank account and credit card details. During the online job search process, if you need to provide personal data, please consider whether the employer’s request is reasonable and whether there is a risk of excessive collection of personal data.
Fraudsters may also steal job seekers’ property or obtain their personal data during interviews, and then drain the job seekers’ bank savings or use the fraudulently obtained data to carry out unlawful activities; or they may claim to be recruiting for online part-time work, promising job seekers that they can earn service fees or commissions by purchasing online game top-up cards on behalf of others. Once the job seeker provides the top-up card serial numbers and passwords, the fraudster sells the cards and loses contact, causing the job seeker to suffer financial loss.
Interview Safety and Dealing with Unreasonable Demands
When going to an interview, always bear personal safety in mind, avoid attending interviews alone at unusually remote locations, and pay attention to whether the interview process is overly perfunctory. If the employer makes unreasonable demands, you should firmly refuse, and certainly should not carry out illegal work for the employer.