Job scams abundant, stay alert: Jobstreet Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR – If the job offer sounds too good to be true, then it really is, said JobStreet Malaysia, a leading job recruitment platform.

Against the backdrop of a rising number of job scams in recent months, the company has advised jobseekers to always be on guard and try to spot the differences between a job scam and a legitimate job advertisement.

“Online fraud is a real threat. Unfortunately, many Malaysians have fallen victim to these scams,” said the company operations director Ashwin Jeyapalasingam in a statement today.

He said that due to the rising cost of living, it is understandable that more people are looking for opportunities to supplement their income. Hence, the demand for jobs opens up more opportunities for fraud to occur.

Ashwin said as job recruitment scams become more prevalent on the internet, it is important for job seekers to be able to tell the difference between a genuine position opening and a scam, for it could mean the difference between losing money and earning money.

As such, he said the tell-tale signs of job scams include getting paid much money for doing elementary tasks, which is a dream scenario for anyone.

Ashwin reminded jobseekers that high-paying jobs are usually given to people with more experience or higher levels of expertise.

“If you want to get hired for a high-paying job, there are many legitimate ways to do so,” he added.

When it comes to advertisements for overseas positions, candidates should also be cautious and ask themselves: “Does it make sense that I would earn this type of wage in this particular country doing such a role?”

In recent months, there have been reports of many young Malaysians being lured with high-paying jobs overseas, but only to find out that what they were offered does not match what was advertised.

JobStreet Malaysia revealed that the other tell-tale signs of fraudulent job offers are that the job hirer communicates entirely through social media or sends suspicious emails, the hirer asks for personal banking details, an applicant gets instant job offers even without applying, or an applicant gets asked to send money with the promise of more money once the job is secured.

It said most hirers from legitimate companies communicate primarily through email, telephone or messaging apps, where their actual identities are shown.

“Some may initially message candidates through social media but will eventually move to more formal means of communication as talks advance,” it added. – Bernama, November 2, 2022