TheraEx Staffing Solutions provided this article.
The rise of fake job postings for healthcare professionals has reached an all-time high. As a travel nurse in one of the most sought-after fields, you must be vigilant when it comes to being able to identify when someone is trying to scam you. Fake postings can fall through the cracks even on the most reputable job boards. Below are a few notable red flags to be on the lookout for:
1. All Emails and Job Postings Are Riddled with Spelling Errors and Poor Grammar
Consider it a major red flag if the job posting contains spelling and grammatical errors or has incorrect punctuation. A legitimate job posting will be professional and polished. Emails from scammers may also be overly formal or look like it was copied and pasted from somewhere else.
2. Is The Company or Recruiter Legitimate?
If you’ve never heard of the individual or company that is advertising the job opening, try performing a quick Google search. By viewing their website, recent news articles about the company, and their social media profiles, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, you’ll be able to have a better understanding of their online presence and if they have actual real employees working for them. Another way to decipher if a company is legitimate is by googling the term “company name scam” to see if there are any previous reports or complaints associated with the company in question.
If they’re a recruitment professional, use LinkedIn to research the person you’re communicating with to make sure they’re legitimate and have other connections from within the company they’re representing. Most scam artists have large amounts of information missing on their profiles and tend to spell “jobs” as “j0bs,” so they’re able to bypass LinkedIn filters.
If you are still uncertain, ask around. Thanks to the availability of social networks and online forums, you can ask for information about the company from your friends, colleagues, and other members in your network.
3. The Recruiter Has a Generic Email Address
Whether your correspondence is with a recruiter from a staffing agency or the head of HR, you should expect that they’ll have a company email address. If the recruiter is using a generic email service such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail, they’re possibly not legitimate. Another warning sign to be aware of is if the email that you receive doesn’t contain any contact information such as a physical mailing address, office, cell, and/or fax number.
4. You’re Asked to Do an Interview Via Chat or Text
If your first interview is scheduled through some type of text messaging services like Telegram, Signal, or WhatsApp, it is a huge red flag. Interviews are typically conducted by phone or through video conferencing software like Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex. Any hiring manager worth their salt will not conduct a job interview via instant message.
5. You’re Offered the Job Without an Interview
Some scam artists will try to offer you a job without even doing an interview. A major part of a genuine recruiter’s job is to spend time ensuring that you’re the right fit for the company and position you’re applying for and that you have all the required training and licenses.
6. They Ask You for Money
Genuine recruiters will ask you for your contact details, an updated copy of your CV, and for references. At no point in the process should they ask you to provide any form of payment.
Steps to Take if You Fall Victim to an Online Job Scam:
If you believe you have fallen victim to a job scam, there are steps you can take to minimize the damage:
- File a complaint with the FTC online at reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling (877) 382-4357.
- Report the scam to your state’s Attorney General at usa.gov/state-attorney-general.
- Close any bank account(s) affected by the scam and open new accounts at a new bank.
- If you provided your social security number at any point, order credit reports from all three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and monitor them for unusual activity. To be safe, you can also create an E-Verify account with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and freeze your social security number at e-verify.gov/mye-verify/self-lock.
- Report the company name, contact email, and job posting to the site where the fraudulent job was posted so they can remove it and investigate further.
- Contact your local police department and file a report.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.
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