New research has revealed that UK job hunters are not particularly savvy when it comes to recognising a job scam, the PayStream website reports.
With so many job advertisements and applications now taking place online, through job sites, search engines and social networks, the task of finding a job is largely digital. But this can make jobseekers vulnerable to fraudulent adverts.
According to a survey of over 2,000 workers, conducted by CV-Library in partnership with SAFERJobs, nearly three-quarters (72.1%) of jobseekers do not feel confident that they could spot a job scam. A similar number (71.3%) were not even aware of the issue, believing that any job vacancy they saw advertised online would be genuine.
Even more worryingly, the overwhelming majority (98%) of applicants said they would continue with an application even if they weren’t sure of its origins. This puts them at risk of fraud and identity theft, as fake job ads mean that data and personal information could be being unwittingly passed on to scammers.
Commenting on the findings, Lee Biggins, founder and MD of CV-Library, noted that today’s flourishing job market “can make it even easier for scammers to hide amongst genuine postings and take advantage of unsuspecting candidates.”
Meanwhile, chair of SAFERJobs Keith Rosser advised job hunters to be vigilant when searching for jobs online, warning that many job sites “don’t work to protect candidates from scams, leaving them open to falling victim.”
If you don’t want to risk getting caught out by one of these scams, use a professional recruitment consultancy like Lucy Bristow. Get in touch today to see how we can help you find your perfect job.
Image: Houston we have a problem… by Mihael Mafy available under the (CC by-SA 2.0) license
