Beware of job hunting and employment scams in classifieds

There are two main types of scams, job hunting and employment scams, which may sound like the same thing but they each have a different modus operandi.

Job hunting - never deposit money

The most common fraud associated with job hunting involves the request of a deposit, which is most commonly associated with work-at-home opportunities. In these types of scams, the 'employer' says that a deposit is needed to start work, usually for 'supplies and/or training materials'.

The most important thing to remember is that you should never have to pay anything to get a job. Think about the logic, you work to get paid not the other way around.

Identity theft

In employment swindles, which usually involve the criminal attempting to get hold of your personal details, and are usually focused around offering work-from-home opportunities, the scammer offers a job that does not exist.

The 'employer' will then ask you to fill out documentation or ask you for your bank account information to set up direct deposit for work done. Once they have your personal information, you are not likely to hear from them again. However, you may now end up with an identity theft problem.

If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Avoid odd meetings

Be cautious of jobs that 'only a certain number of openings left', have strange or free email URL's or require you to meet the prospective 'employer' at strange times and unusual places.

Sharon Knowles, head of operations at Kalahari Ads provides some top tips to online job seekers:

• Never provide any non-work related personal information such as an ID, credit card number, bank details, home address, marital status, through email, over the phone, in a fax or on a resume;
  
• Double-check the company details of a prospective employer, by calling the company to verify that they are contracted to seek for job opportunities;
  
• Only meet during work hours at a secure location, this would usually mean meeting them at the company location. If this isn't an option, notify a friend of your whereabouts or better still take someone with you;
  
• Beware of anyone who asks you for money upfront;
  
• Carefully evaluate contact information in the ads, looking out for, spelling errors, email addresses that do not feature company names, inconsistencies with area codes, duplicate adverts for different areas, duplicate adverts with the same contact detail but different description details;
  
• Create a web-based email account to respond to adverts and account for all non-personal communication.