Spot Job Scams and Stay Safe

Most employers are honest. But thieves know that people need work, and they make fake job offers. They want your money, your ID or your bank details. Anyone can be tricked, even smart people, especially when they are in a hurry. This lesson is about staying safe. Read it carefully, and tell your family and friends.

Warning signs

• They ask you to pay money before you start: for a form, a medical test, a uniform, training, a visa, a security deposit or *registration*. Real employers pay you. They do not charge you for a job. Some legal agencies for work abroad may charge in some countries, but there are strict rules about this. Check with your government before you pay anyone.
• The pay is too good. A very high salary for easy work, with no experience, is a trap.
• They ask for your ID, bank details, ATM card, PIN or OTP before a real offer.
• They hurry you: *Pay today or lose the job.* Pressure is a sign of a trick.
• No real address, no company name, or a company that you cannot find. Only a mobile number or a free email address.
• The offer comes from a person you do not know, by message, and you never apply.
• They want to talk only on chat, and refuse a call or a meeting at a real office.
• Bad writing, a strange link, or a request to click and sign in to a website.
• A job that sends you money first and then asks you to send some back. This is a cheque or payment trick.

Simple checks before you trust

1. Search the company name. Do they have a website, an address and a phone number that match? Do other people say it is a real company?
2. Call them. Use the number from their official website, not only the number in the message.
3. Ask for the offer in writing, with the company name, address, job, pay, hours and start date.
4. Visit the place in daytime if you can, and take a friend or tell a family member where you are going.
5. Ask a person you trust, such as a teacher, an older relative, a union representative or a local employment office.
6. Slow down. A real job will still be there tomorrow.

What to do if you think it is a scam

• Stop. Do not send money or papers.
• Do not click on strange links.
• Save the messages and numbers as proof. Do not delete them.
• Block the number.
• If you shared your bank or card details, call your bank at once, using the number on your bank card, not the number in the message.
• If you paid money, report it to the police or the local cybercrime service in your country, and tell your bank. Many countries have an online place to report fraud. Ask your local police station or look for the official government website.
• Warn your friends and family.

Work in another country

Many people dream of work abroad. It is also where many big scams happen, with fake visas and fake contracts. Be very careful.

• Use only official government channels and licensed agents in your country. Your government's labour or overseas employment office can tell you which agents are licensed.
• Check the job with the employer in the other country, and ask your own embassy or labour office if the company is real.
• Never travel on a *tourist visa* for a job unless an official source says it is allowed. Get the contract and read it, in a language you understand, before you pay or travel.
• Never give your passport to an agent to keep.
• If it sounds too easy, stop and ask an official office.

Safety at interviews and first days

• Meet at a business place, in daytime, and not in a private home or a hotel room.
• Tell someone where you are and when you will be back. Keep your phone charged and share your location with a person you trust if you can.
• If something feels wrong, leave. It is okay to say *I am sorry, I have to go*.
• Women and young people should take extra care, and bring a friend if possible.

Protect your accounts

• Never share OTP codes, passwords or PINs with anyone, even a person who says they are from a bank or a job site.
• Use a different password for your email.
• Do not use public computers or open Wi-Fi to sign in to important accounts.

Remember this rule: a real job never needs you to pay first, and never needs your PIN or OTP.

Your task

1. Read the warning signs again. Say three of them aloud to a family member or friend.
2. Write the rule in your own words, and put it in your notes app.
3. Take one real job advert that you saw and check it: search the company, find a phone number and call it.
4. Find the official way to report fraud in your country, and save the web address or phone number in your phone.

How to check it worked

• You can list at least five warning signs without looking.
• You have saved the official place to report fraud or scams in your country.
• You know the rule about fees, PINs and OTP codes.