Many people desperate for a job are falling prey to scammers promoting themselves on community FB pages. Preeti Soni shares some warning signs and gives tips on protecting yourself.
Preeti Soni is the main admin for the Facebook page of Indians in Perth, which she started purely with the intention of helping new Indian migrants. She woes the fact that many a time, "unscrupulous people use community FB pages to scam new comers, students and migrants, with false hopes of acquiring a job and demanding some advance payments from them."
- Beware of job scammers. 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't'.
- Always verify the credentials of the establishment advertising a job.
- Never respond to anyone offering you a job by sending you a personal message.
"Often scammers wait in prey for needy new comers or desperate students who post on community FB pages, saying they are in dire need of work," says Ms Soni. "Scammers then take advantage of them and send them personal messages inbox."
One of the most common method of scamming the needy people is, promising them a job and then asking for $100 in advance for a uniform. Or they ask for an advance payment of $200 for setting up their identity. Once the money is received, the fraudsters are never contactable again," adds Ms Soni.
Most community pages carefully scrutinize any job Ads, but at times fraudulent ones slip through. Ms Soni advises, 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't. Some scammers announce, no qualifications, no experience required, work from home and earn $ 1500. Please do not fall for it."
Some Tips that Preeti Soni shares with new comers:
(1) Search for the company details on google
(2) Confirm ABN details
(3) Check reviews
(4) Do not pay any money - no genuine company will ask for any money upfront for uniforms or ID.
(5) Check the office location, phone contacts and web page
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