Online Hiring Scams: What Employers Should Be Aware of
It’s not always the applicants who face scams in online hiring. Instead, employers are also becoming common targets of fraud during recruitment. So, as a recruiter or business owner, it’s important to stay aware of what kind of fraudulent activities you might face in the hiring process.
Ignoring this could cost you company data, waste valuable time and resources, and onboard a fraudster. Would you let this happen to you? If not, make sure that you go through this entire article, as it thoroughly covers potential scams in online recruitment and the ways to prevent them.
After reading this guide, you’ll be better prepared to spot the fraud on the spot and take the right step to avoid it.
So, ready to set off on this informative journey? Let’s roll.
Common Scams Employers Face In Online Recruitment
Here are the most common scams that you may come across in an online recruitment drive:
- Fake Candidate Profiles
Many scammers create fake candidate profiles using stolen photos and data of real professionals. Such phony accounts aim to move to the next process and gain access to company systems or collect sensitive information. Once hired, they either disappear or make lame excuses to still appear credible in your eyes.
- Phishing In Applications
Just like impersonated companies trick people by sending phishing emails, fraudsters also target employers by submitting applications with harmful links. As you click the link, you risk losing login details of your system or portal account. This may result in massive data leaks, leading to the misuse of your organization’s information.
- Unpaid Trial Offers
Sometimes, some applicants may offer unpaid trials to draw you into their nest. This is especially common when someone is trying to enter your company just to know how it works, which technology it uses, and what the current internal updates are. Some might do this to demand money later if you decide not to continue with them.
- Agency Impersonation
Many hiring persons rely on third-party agencies to hire experts online, but those partners may also turn out to be fake. Yes, you read that right. Just like creating fake identities of candidates, scammers also create clone accounts of real recruitment firms. Then, they use the same profiles to offer quick help in the hiring process to employers like you, just to get an upfront fee.
- Credential Fraud
This is one of the most common frauds seen in online hiring. Even the real candidates are usually involved in it. This includes listing degrees and certifications they don’t have at all. Since you can’t check the authenticity of every document immediately, it becomes easy for people with bad intentions to slip through. Consequently, you hire unqualified persons.
- Multiple Form Submissions
Another scam you may have to face as a recruiter is bulk form submissions. Scammers often submit many applications using different names and other details. When too many entries are done, this hides the real candidates. Due to this, you automatically come in contact with the fraudsters after seeing their emails or messages at the top.
- Fake Professional Emails
When trying to fool an employer online, scammers try their best to appear real. One common trick they use is creating fake professional email addresses that closely match real ones. For instance, you may receive an application from an address like “execuritve@nnicrosoft.com.” You can see that it appears genuine at first glance, but turns out to be fake if you pay close attention.
- Work History Fabrication
Hiring managers are also scammed by the showcasing of a fabricated work history. Applicants who aim to move the interview process by any means add fake companies to their resumes. Some even list the real ones with generic details about their role. This deviousness makes recruiters like you believe in the candidate’s experience, even though much of it may be false.
How Can Employers Avoid Online Hiring Scams?
By now, we hope that you are aware of the potential scams in online hiring. Now, let’s discuss some practical practices to avoid these frauds altogether.
- Always Verify Candidate Identities
Whenever you receive an application from a professional social network, like LinkedIn, spend sufficient time verifying profile authenticity. Check their listed information, account history, and previous posts to know if the person is worthy of relying on. To add an extra layer of security in your online hiring process, confirm if the profile picture is original or stolen. For that, you can turn to an AI-powered face search tool and upload the display photo. As you do so, the tool shows you every instance of that image across the web, helping you spot duplicates, stolen images, or fake accounts. This extra check makes it much harder for scammers to mislead you.
- Be Cautious Of Unusual Requests
Another proactive approach is to avoid falling for lucrative offers from candidates. If an application requests you to give a chance for a free trial period, especially for a senior-level position, that’s a clear red flag. Similarly, if someone offers to provide your competitor’s information in exchange for a job opportunity, stay away from that person. People like this are often untrustworthy and a part of a scammers’ group trying to enter your organization to steal sensitive details.
- Implement Strong Work Verification
When running an online recruitment drive, never hire anyone without proper verification of qualifications and experience. Take your time to process the application under strong measures.
In case you think that the details mentioned in a resume appear to be fake, ask candidates for supporting documents. For example, you can request them to submit scanned copies of their educational degree attested by the relevant authorities. Similarly, you can ask for experience certificates and online verification links or codes of certifications.
- Avoid Clicking URLs Right Away
As a professional employer, you should never click any URLs in a job application right away. This increases the chances of you falling for phishing attempts. So, go through the entire content in detail and check if the links appear real or shortened. If you are unsure about a link, verify it by hovering over it to see the full URL or use trusted security tools to scan it before opening. When in doubt, ask the candidate to share documents through official platforms or secure email. Together, all these things keep you safe from clicking fake links.
- Stay Vigilant To Similar Applications
This practice is especially useful to avoid falling for scams that involve multiple fake application submissions. If you have too many entries for a single job and some of them seem to be prepared on the same pattern, that might be a sign of fraudulent activity. For example, you may notice several applications with identical phrasing, similar email addresses, or matching resume formats. In such a case, simply ignore all the suspicious applicants and focus on the ones that appear to be unique and original.
To Sum Up
Avoiding online hiring scams doesn’t have to be difficult once you are aware of the common tactics used by applicants with bad intentions. Instead, it should become a routine part of your recruitment process to filter out potential scammers using smart techniques. This habit ensures that you and your company stay protected from getting drawn into the nests of fraudsters.
