The digital age has brought about countless conveniences—from staying connected to distant loved ones to networking with professionals across the globe.

However, this shift also opened the door to a more insidious element: scams.

These fraudulent activities have become a significant concern for Australians, and it has prompted a severe warning for all job seekers.

According to recent data, Australians have lost about $24.4 million to thousands of job ad scams in recent years.

Since then, Scamwatch has taken a proactive stance against this growing threat.

Their latest initiative, known as the 'Fusion Cell', was a collaborative effort between government and industry to tackle the issue head-on.

Job boards have been infiltrated by scammers by promising jobseekers high salaries in exchange of 'training fees' among others. Image Credit: Pexels/Ron Lach

Since its launch in September, the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) has taken down 200 job scam websites and flagged 200 phone numbers used by scammers.

The NASC, along with law enforcement, government agencies, and cryptocurrency platforms, froze or restricted cryptocurrency wallets used for these scams.

'Scamwatch has already received 2,260 reports about job and employment scams in 2024 with total losses of almost $9.7 million,' an NASC spokesperson stated.

'In 2023, 4,831 job and employment scams were reported to Scamwatch, with losses totalling almost $24.4 million.'

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Deputy Chair, Catriona Lowe, highlighted the sophisticated techniques used by scammers.

'Job scams involve criminals posing as legitimate businesses or recruiters and targeting jobseekers with lucrative offers to complete tasks—deceiving their victims into handing over money,' Chairman Lowe said.

'They learn a lot about you from what you share on social media and trick you into sharing personal information, which they then use to target you in other scams.'

Social media has been a hotbed for these activities, with a notable increase in scams related to these platforms.

Although they accounted for only seven per cent of the more than 216,000 public reports received by Scamwatch, the financial losses from these job scams represented 22 per cent of the nation's total scam-related losses.

The September quarter saw a 146 per cent surge in reported financial losses linked to social media.

This alarming trend underscored the importance of being vigilant and suspicious of any unexpected contacts on social media.

The Job Scam Fusion Cell should remain operational until March 2025.

In the meantime, it's vital to know the signs of a fake job ad.

Here are some red flags to watch out for:

• Offers that seem too good to be true, such as high pay for minimal work.
• Requests for personal information or money upfront, often under the guise of 'training fees' or 'equipment costs.'
• Poorly written job ads with grammatical errors and vague job descriptions.
• Pressure to make quick decisions related to the job.
• No straightforward application process or interviews are being conducted via messaging apps or email only.

If you encounter a suspicious job ad, report it to Scamwatch and share your experience with others to raise awareness.

Key Takeaways

• Thousands of job and employment scams have resulted in substantial financial losses, with almost $24.4 million reported lost in 2023.
• The National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) launched a 'fusion cell' to crack down on job scam websites and phone numbers.
• Scamwatch and NASC warned about the increasing use of social media to impersonate businesses or individuals to deceive job seekers.
• Reports suggested a significant spike in scam-related financial losses connected to social media, highlighting the importance of being cautious with online contacts.

Have you or someone you know encountered a job scam? Share your story and tips in the comments below.

The SDC forum also has the Cybersecurity for Aussies Over 60 modules available online.

 

[Zemo]

Am I stupid, or what? Why would a scam site, if the page shown is supposed to be an example, be titled "Jobs wanted"? Why would they, if they have fake work available, say they want jobs?
Like the redhead said, "Please explain?"
And might it be a teensy-weensy bit of a help to give us a name or two of the sites used by the scammongrels instead of just a vague "200 scam websites"?

 

[kayc]

Nearly every day I receive an email from MyGov, ATO, Aust Pensions on line requiring my details to update info so as to keep receiving my pension etc. have reported to Scam Watch but they never reply in any way