This is the second article of a four-part series where we will be offering suggestions to help you stay safe in your job search.
Have you ever received a job opportunity from your friends or family members or chance upon it on a Facebook group, and it simply sounds too good to be true? It probably is, and more often than not, such random job ads tend to reek of suspicious activity and are most likely part of an elaborate job scam.
We all know online job scams exist, but sometimes it’s easy to overlook the warning signs with the excitement of a potential job offer. These scammers play on your desire to secure a better paying job or the opportunity to work in another country, and will go to great lengths to convince you to pay them for something that does not even exist. It is thus crucial for you to learn how to identify these warning signs and protect yourself, so you can continue to benefit from real online career opportunities.
Now that you know how to differentiate a real job from a fake one and which red flags to look out for, here are some more important tips to help you verify if the job offer is real so that you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim of these job scams.
4 ways to check if a job offer is real
1. call randstad singapore or randstad malaysia directly to check
When you are being approached by an individual claiming they’re working for Randstad, you can always call us directly at +60 03-2036 6666 (Randstad Malaysia) or +65 6510 1350 (Randstad Singapore) to check if he or she works with us.
Our recruitment specialists are always happy to connect with you over the phone or via emails. Remember: We will never ask job seekers for payment or remunerations of any kind. Watch out for scammers who ask you for money before meetings or interviews and always call the company to check before taking any actions.
2. chat with our live chat team on our website
Randstad’s live chat is a web service that allows you to chat with our customer service specialists in real time. Get in touch with our customer experience team when you are approached with job offers that came from suspicious sources or sounded dubious.
You may head over to the Contact Us page and start a live chat with our customer experience agents during business hours or leave us a quick message by clicking the ‘leave a message’ tab on the right. Our agents will get back to you within 24 hours.
3. connect with us on our facebook page
Received a job offer via Facebook or WhatsApp messages but you are not sure if it is genuine or fake? A fake job ad often does not include the required job-related skills in its requirement but it will instead ask for financial payment before the interview.
Here is an example of how a fake job ad looks like:
If you have received a similar WhatsApp message or came across a Facebook post that looks like the above, get in touch with us on our official Randstad Malaysia Facebook Page to check with us. The team manning our Facebook inbox will get back to you within 24 hours.
4. check official websites (applies to singapore only)
At Randstad, we take job scams very seriously as we place your safety as our priority. You may visit the Ministry of Manpower website to check the recruitment consultant's CEI number to find out if he or she is officially registered under the Certificate of Employment Intermediaries as required by the Singapore law. Please note that you will need the consultant’s full name to check on the Ministry’s website. Alternatively, you can call the Ministry’s hotline during standard office hours at +65 6438 5122.
if you suspect that you are a target of a job scam or have already been scammed, reach out to your local authorities immediately to report the crime.
By filing a report with the local authorities, you are helping us raise awareness of these job scams and protecting your family and friends from becoming victims themselves.
if you are a Singapore resident (Citizen or Permanent Resident)
You may call the Singapore Police Force’s hotline at 1800 255 0000 or file an official e-report via Singapore Police Force’s website (SingPass required).
if you are a Malaysian resident
You can submit an e-report to the following Malaysian authorities:
Malaysia Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Complaint Portal
Website: https://aduan.mcmc.gov.my/
Malaysian Computer Emergency Response Team
Website: https://www.mycert.org.my
Email address: cyber999@cybersecurity.my
For more information about job scams, please read the following: http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/announcements/2016/0617-scam-alert
If you are looking to start your job search, get in touch with us and submit your cv.