As of: February 11, 2024, 12:35 p.m
By: Maximilian Hertel
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An unbeatable salary, short working hours and home office.
There may be fraudsters behind suspiciously good job offers who want to use them to steal money or data.
Bremen – Some job offers are too good to be true.
Unfortunately, there are advertisements where this is literally the case.
The European Consumer Center Germany (EVZ) and the police are warning of a fraudulent scam in which job seekers become victims of a scam and even become involved in criminal activities.
Everything often starts in an inconspicuous way, as contact is made via established job websites.
How cybercriminals exploit applicants with false job offers
According to the police portal polizei-dein-partner.de, false advertisements from cybercriminals are not a new phenomenon and have previously occurred in the USA and Great Britain.
The main problem is that applicants have little chance of recognizing the fraud because the job advertisements are placed perfectly and professionally.
“Spelling errors or similarly obvious, eye-catching errors cannot be found in the cases known to us,” reports lawyer Christian Solmecke to the portal.
The European Consumer Center Germany (EVZ) also draws attention to this.
Criminals try to steal personal data by making contact attempts in career networks - analogous to “phishing” via email.
Or they try to involve job seekers in money laundering transactions.
Fraudsters use advertisements on common job portals to steal money or even involve their victims in criminal activities.
(Symbolic image) © Schöning/IMAGO
Fraud in job offers: Authorities warn of money laundering and data theft
According to the police publisher's website, there are two known scenarios: The first involves stealing amounts of money from unsuspecting applicants.
“Bank details or social security numbers are a popular target,” which criminals get hold of with spyware: a virus that is unknowingly installed, for example, by clicking on a link on the victim’s computer or smartphone.
However, a brokerage fee is often simply charged because the fraudsters pose as an agency.
Another scenario is the motive of money laundering: Here “the gangs operating in the background use the scam to launder money.
The online criminals transfer money to the affected applicant's account and then ask him to transfer the amount to a third party. This obscures the original origin of the money.
In both cases, however, tracking down the perpetrators is almost impossible because the fraudsters operate from all over the world.
This way you can protect yourself from the scam of false job offers
According to the EVZ, the first sign of a dangerous scam is having to transfer money to a private account or open a bank account during the application process.
Another hint is the request to discuss further details via another channel such as Whatsapp or SMS.
This allows fraudsters to reach those affected directly.
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Another identifying feature can be the profile from which users are contacted.
If this was only recently created and has noticeably few contacts, you should exercise caution.
If you are contacted by a placement agency or respond to a job advertisement from one, you should check whether the position is also on the company's website.
If in doubt, it is advisable to inquire by telephone.
If you fear that you have already fallen for fraudsters, the EVZ recommends securing evidence and reporting it to the police.
Possible evidence could include chats secured via screenshots.
In addition, if contact is suspected, contact should be broken off immediately and reported to the portal on which it occurred.
In any case, you cannot accuse fraudsters on the Internet of lacking ingenuity.
Cybercriminals are now even using AI for their scams.
Therefore, here you will find further tips on how you can protect yourself from scams.
(mh / dpa)