Here's how to avoid falling prey to scams in the name of job opportunities

I was duped by a man in the name of a job opportunity at JPMorgan. He manipulated me in the name of a mandatory interview preparation process. He was to refer me for the role, and since the vacancy was in his own team, he offered to guide me through the interview as well.

I was contacted on LinkedIn. We are considering here a man with a well-built profile suited with an incredible description, decorated with 500+ connections, topped with an MBA from a universally recognised institution and garnished with exemplary work experience.

My question to you is, would you mind paying for a study material which will expand your boundaries of knowledge and help you secure your dream role too?

The answer is no. However, it is of utmost necessity to exercise vigilance.

Here are 6 rules to save you from the next employment scam:

RULE 1: Do not trust the most lucrative of offers, if they involve any monetary transaction to get through

No matter what the role or name of the institution, you should not pay for anything, howsoever linked to the profile or the company.

Employees are encouraged to get referrals to the company, through compensatory schemes. They should be more than happy to refer you if requested. None of the institutions has the policy to encourage payments of any kind from the candidates. The last that can happen is a meagre application fee applicable, on the official portal of the company.

RULE 2: Do not entertain any job selection calls or messages without proper credibility

Any call or message conveying that an interview has been scheduled can be misleading unless you receive an official email. Be certain of having applied for that role, in all conscious.

The moment any monetary aspect is brought into picture, be all alert. Verify with the customer care team of the company about your interview schedule and timing and any other procedural uncertainty or apprehension you may have.

No organisation accepts placement via non-standard means.

RULE 3: Do not trust even the most promising (Credential-affixed) Job Descriptions

(The fraudster sent me one, which eventually led me to fall prey under him)

Make sure you apply to opportunities on portals having sufficient credibility. I was duped on the most promising platform – LinkedIn. I had a message from him in my LinkedIn inbox which undermined any credibility doubts.

RULE 4: Verify the HR email address or at least the domain existence through basic research tools

Another more promising channel is the email from the HR Team. I further fell prey to the scam after I was sent a mail from a clearly official looking domain. The trick they played was to use the domain ‘.co.in’ instead of ‘.com’, which the company did not certify official.

Write to the customer care department of the company to verify, in case you see any red flags.

RULE 5: Do not submit any of your original documents

Upon being requested via an email from the fake HR team, I readily sent them all my details, self-attested documents and my photograph. Avoid any submission without a proper offer letter.

RULE 6: Do not agree on unnecessary terms and conditions

I was asked to be loyal and not apply to any position in the other companies.

No company solicits such behaviour.

"Any employee or a recruiter will only encourage you to apply for more positions in the meantime" said an International Recruitment Consultant.

Thus, exercise high caution on the credibility of the source or your point of contact. The wrong person can be a drastic hit to your emotional and professional stability.

I somehow managed to get my money back and disconnect with him but not everyone gets that opportunity. Feel free to get in touch if I can be of any help to you.

I can be reached on workwithcharvi@gmail.com

Cheers!