RECRUITMENT FRAUD - THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR
What is recruitment fraud?
Recruitment fraud is happening more & more. It occurs when a bad actor claims to be a recruitment agent, hiring you for a job, sometimes from overseas, that is non-existent. It’s a cunning ruse of identity theft to try and get money or personal information from you. They’ll often use very convincing company branding, logos etc so it looks very real.
We want to make you aware & keep you safe
Luckily Sunstone Talent has NOT been affected by this but we wanted to make you aware & keep you safe as it’s increasingly happening with more sophisticated means of deception, especially now with AI.
We’re aware that people are being offered fake employment opportunities out in the market from individuals and organisations using bogus company credentials that look real and you should be aware of these so you can remain vigilant.
I’ve been a victim of employment fraud - what do I do?
The first thing to do is STOP ALL communication with the fake ‘agency’ and make a note of their details and report it to Netsafe here.
If you’ve given them any money, CONTACT YOUR BANK IMMEDIATELY.
True Story…I once had a phone call from my bank in the UK when I was working in Bristol asking me if I’d spent eight hundred pounds on telecommunications equipment in Taragona, Spain? I had not. The bad actors must have taken my credit card details when I paid for a meal travelling with my Dad in Barcelona. The bank was extremely good and luckily reimbursed me the eight hundred pounds instantly back into my bank account.
Some of the more recent scams we’re hearing about in the news are complex financial investment scams which bad actors are even simulating data, showing the victim dashboards of the investments and are ripping them off hundreds of thousands of dollars, some have lost millions.
Sunstone Talent Recruitment Practices
We take fraud very seriously so thought we’d try and raise more awareness to help people be better prepared and stop them becoming the next victim of an employment scam.
If you’re unsure if it’s a scam check check out our handy advice below:
Always check the email address domain this is a classic giveaway: Our email address domain is @sunstonetalent.com. We will never use Gmail/yahoo/hotmail or any other non-official email account to communicate with potential candidates or contractors.
Check the process is it a formal Interview: Sunstone will not make any job offers without arranging a formal interview process.
We will NEVER ASK FOR MONEY as part of the recruitment process.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if I receIve a suspicious job scam email?
Please notify paul@sunstonetalent.com
If you have disclosed any bank account details, please CONTACT YOUR BANK IMMEDIATELY.
How do I protect my accounts and data from online job scams?
Be vigilant and keep your personal information secure. Think carefully before entering your details online or giving them to someone you don’t know.
If you are unsure of the legitimacy of any offers, do a quick search on the company name, and compare the information you find against what you have been sent. Rather than clicking on an email, a good trick is to go to the company or providers website separately.
If you think you’ve have been the victim of recruitment fraud please contact your local authorities immediately.
We hope you find this helpful and stay safe out there :-):-):-)
I’m Paul, lover of coffee, dogs, biking, surfing & skiing. Founder & Principal Consultant of Sunstone, an IT Recruitment & HR company specialising in recruiting IT roles within software, web, mobile, blockchain, data, cloud infrastructure, security & networks in Christchurch & South Island of New Zealand.