Career expert shares how to avoid scams while looking for jobs online: 'Be wary if a company is...'

Fake recruiters often contact job seekers unprompted on Indeed and LinkedIn or even through WhatsApp to entice them with an easy job opportunity that they didn’t apply for. (Image credit: Unsplash)

Scammers cheating hopeful job seekers looking for opportunities online has become a major problem with US federal agencies like the FBI and Federal Trade Commission issuing warnings about job scams. In India too, online scams when it comes to online job postings are common.

In light of such scams, career experts offer tips on spotting fraudulent job postings. They also highlighted a common scheme where conmen pose as recruiters and contact job seekers unprompted on Indeed and LinkedIn or even through WhatsApp to entice them with an easy job opportunity that they didn’t apply for.

Once an interaction is established, the "recruiters" may ask the candidates to send them money or personal information, Amanda Augustine, a career expert at TopResume, told CNBC Make It.

While real recruiters do often reach out cold to potential hires, “They’re straightforward with you,” career and leadership coach Phoebe Gavin told the publication.

Here are three ways to spot a con while job-hunting:

1.) If the job looks too perfect

If a job posting “seems too good to be true,” it probably is, Augustine said. That includes openings promising to make you a lot of money fast. In those “get-rich-quick” instances, “run for the hills,” she added.

The career expert also advised job seekers to be wary if a company is quick to offer them a position without going through the standard vetting procedure, Augustine told CNBC Make It.

2.) Vague or nonexistent job descriptions

Sometimes job listings may offer lucrative offers but without a detailed description of the role. Fraudsters disguised as recruiters are likely to insist they can’t provide any details because a job posting is confidential. That’s a big red flag, Augustine told the publication.

“If you are not at a director level or above and someone is approaching you for a confidential listing, it’s probably a scam, because there isn’t really much reason for a company to be cagey about hiring an individual contributor or a manager-level position,” Gavin said.

3.) Check the company’s presence online 

Augustine said job seekers must be able to locate a company’s presence online. That could be a LinkedIn profile, website, or social media page.

“Even your mom-and-pop ice cream shop has a Facebook page these days,” she said. “If there’s absolutely no digital trail about this company, or it’s really, really sparse when you’re running some Google searches, I would be concerned.”