Billions of Facebook users warned of ‘job fraud’ that could cost you – eight key signs to look out for

FACEBOOK is a great place to keep in touch, buy second hand goods and even find some paid work.

But it’s all too easy for scammers to con people desperate to earn a bit of extra cash.

Facebook has issued eight important signs to look out for when looking for jobs on the social network.

So if you see a job ad you’re interested in, consider these crucial points – otherwise you could actually end up out of pocket.

Listings that ask for upfront payment

Some employees may need to pay for items after they’re hired – but that doesn’t mean you should be paying an upfront cost just to apply for a job.

If you see anything like application fees, recruiter placement fees, interview reservation fees, training fees, CV formatting/re-writing fees or background check fees, be warned, as these are typical scam tactics.

You should also think twice about anyone asking for money to pay for business travel, starting materials or training – even if they promise to pay you back.

Work from home delivery jobs

If you see a job for work from home deliveries, be careful.

You may be unintentionally dealing with packages that have been bought with a stolen identity or credit card.

They can even contain counterfeit postal money orders.

These delivery scams are usually advertised as “package processing assistant” or a “merchandising manager”.

Don’t deal with financial transactions for an employer

You shouldn’t be asked to carry out financial transactions on your employer’s behalf.

This includes transferring funds, accepting money and cashing cheques.

Doing so could implicate you in fraud.

“In these types of scams, you may be asked to pass a bad cheque by transferring money between bank accounts or purchasing work materials using a bad cheque,” Facebook warns.

Only meet in a safe location

You may need to meet up with your employer of course.

If so, ensure it’s in a safe place.

Should they ask to meet in a private home or a remote location, you might want to bring someone along with you to make sure it’s safe.

Look up the employer

You should do a bit of research on the employer to ensure you don’t stumble across a fraudster.

If there’s little information about the employer – such as no phone number, address or a website – this is a bit of a red flag.

It’s also a bit weird if they only offer to do interviews via text or WhatsApp.

Poorly-written job listings

If the job listing has bad spelling or grammar errors, beware.

Scammers usually make these sorts of mistakes.

They may also be quite vague in job descriptions and require little to no work experience to lure you in as well.

Is it too good to be true?

As the saying goes, if it’s too good to be true it probably isn’t.

If they’re offering you £35 an hour to pack parcels then something is definitely not right.

Think about the details you share

It’s normal for legitimate companies to require sensitive personal details like your address and national insurance number.

But make sure any website you’re filling these details in on is safe.

Providing information via Messenger or WhatsApp doesn’t seem very legit so avoid.

---

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk

---