The bad news? For every one legitimate job that’s available, there are at least 60 scams, experts contend.

And it’s not just rubes who get conned. “I would like to say that reasonable people don’t get caught, but that’s not the case,” Durst says. “Very smart people sometimes just have a moment of weakness.”

Con artists also are getting sneakier and more skilled, says Fell. In one recent case, scammers managed to mimic the site of a real employer, for instance. Because the design and domain name was so similar to the real company site, job applicants had their guard down. When the bogus employer said new hires had to pay to get the company’s work-at-home software, but would be reimbursed in their first paycheck, they shelled out $400 each. Needless to say, once the applicant paid up, neither the software nor the job materialized.

Other scammers bank on the applicant’s forgetfulness, she adds. Realizing that many people apply for hundreds of jobs at a time, one email scam says: “Thank you for your application. You look like a qualified candidate. We need you to fill out this second set of applications to go to the next level.” At this stage, applicants may not have any idea what the job is or who is inquiring, but they assume it’s a response to their application. So they blindly click on a link in the email and provide potentially damaging personal data to the crook. Fell suggests that applicants never send out more than 10 resumes at a time, so they can keep track of all the places they’ve applied. If a response is coming from someone you can’t identify, get more information before giving any.

“A number of the scams are really savvy and subtle,” says Fell. “If you weren’t paying close attention, it would be really easy to fall for them.”

What are the warning signs of a flexible-work scam?

1. Few details: Real job postings include lots of detail about the actual job, the skills required and the title. If a job is short on requirements — from hours and duties to the kind of skill required — but talks repeatedly about the flexible nature of the work, consider it a red flag.

2. High pay/low effort: Listen to your gut, says Durst. Is somebody really going to be offering you easy work and a flexible schedule for high pay? Promising that their “guaranteed system” will make you a mint, if you act now? Get real. Unless your skill set is in such high demand that you’d get as much or more from a brick-and-mortar position, a work-at-home opportunity isn’t either.

3. Burned applicants: Before applying for an online opportunity, type in the name of the company and “scam,” suggests Fell. If it’s one of the many bogus jobs, you’ll quickly find web-based complaints. Durst also likes work-at-home forums, such as those at wahm.com and workplacelikehome.com. She suggests that anyone serious about finding good opportunities, register at these sites and just lurk in the forums to find out what other people are complaining about. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scammed,” she says. “If somebody’s been burned, they’re going to tell you about it in no uncertain terms.”

4. Upfront cash: Real jobs pay you. You don’t pay the employer. Unless you’re buying a franchise (and that’s another story altogether), you should not have to pay to get paid. Don’t be fooled by slick claims, testimonials or “guaranteed programs” designed to make you rich. If they’re asking for money in advance to get a job, they’re likely to be crooks. (This is distinct from job search sites, including FlexJobs, that charge for membership as a way of providing an advertising-free site.)

5. Too much information: Though most work-at-home scams seek cash payments from victims, a few appear to be going after the personal information that could make you a target of identity theft. You don’t need to put your Social Security number or driver’s license number on a job application. If the application asks for those identifying numbers or for a credit card number, back away.

6. Anonymous emails: If you’re dealing with a human resources manager at a particular company, their email address should be coming from the company’s domain name, not an anonymous domain like Gmail, Yahoo or AT&T.

7. Unprofessional communication: Job postings and email communications with multiple exclamation marks, misspellings and grammatical errors are also likely to be scams.

8. Over payments: One of the pervasive mystery shopper scams provides big up-front checks to mystery shoppers, who are instructed to deposit the money in their own bank accounts; use what they need to buy an inexpensive product and pay themselves a fee. The mystery shopper is then told to wire the remaining funds back to the “employer.” In reality, the check the scammer gave you is a forgery. But it may be a good enough fake to keep your bank guessing past the point when banking rules require that they “provisionally” provide the funds. What does that mean? It will look like the check cleared. But the bank will debit your account later if the check is a fake — and that could happen weeks after you’ve spent the money. You’re on the hook for the cost of the purchased products, whatever amount you refunded to the crook, as well as any overdraft fees that the fake check caused.

source: http://zealnote.com/8-warning-signs-job-scam/

the only time i was scammed was a vacancy that was published on full page of guardian newspaper and ask to text our details to a particular number. They took the only hundred naira credit i had instead of normal 15naira for sms. i kept asking myself why didnt they say it will cost 100 naira. i felt bad throughout that week cos it was my last money that day.

How I wish we can stop paying money to get Job

In summary
if they ask you to pay to get a job,it is a scam

o boi

Thanks op...space book...ma go hiss ma self first.

superior1: In summary
if they ask you to pay to get a job,it is a scam

ĨŦ Ú ĹĨŚŤĔŃ ŤŐ ŤĤĨŚ ĞÚŶŚ ÁĎVĨČĔ, Ú ĞŐ ŦĨŃĎ ŴŐŔĶ ŤĨŔĔ

nice one op

Noted. Thanks

They migt tell you the venue for the interview is your former university...happened to my cousin but she did not go sha

You're absolutely right. Unfortunately some peeps won't still believe they're being scammed. I don't blame them tho, typical of a Nigerian graduate who desperately needs a job.

Jobless people are source of income to some wicked pple. Be smart

Nice 1 OP

wowwwww...Almost fell for one..Thank God i didnt

No b only job, scam dey na.... Even admission too, u go here come today, come tomorrow, am not around now, just send the money to ma acct... And many more... #talking frm experience, just to change course @ unilag then.

Frankly, job scams should be easy to bust by any decent graduate, especially those by those hare-brained Nigerian job scammers.

Imagine someone calling himself NNPC H.R Manager sending you an email from Gmail account and asking you to call one Dr Oke? And some people fall for that! C'mon.

I wrote an article on the subject last year or so: http://www.jarushub.com/5-ways-to-identify-fraudulent-recruitment-arrangement/

Story For The gods, na person wey get useless money dey pay to get job.

All this fraudlers they should go and start something good doing,not taking frm those that are still in need.

I didn't read it

Nice thread.
To detect any job scam, please just visit the Nairaland Job/ Vacancies section and tons of people will be glad to help.

Also, don't forget to use the omnipotent Google.

Job scams ain't selling anymore. People are now wise.

if it sounds too good to believe, it probably is.

dotna: the only time i was scammed was a vacancy that was published on full page of guardian newspaper and ask to text our details to a particular number. They took the only hundred naira credit i had instead of normal 15naira for sms. i kept asking myself why didnt they say it will cost 100 naira. i felt bad throughout that week cos it was my last money that day.

How I wish we can stop paying money to get Job

A lot of scam jobs on the papers.

Don't they verify or screen before printing?

Or they just after the advert bills.

superior1: In summary
if they ask you to pay to get a job,it is a scam

Just like the Civil Defence scam.

Those useless people should be arrested by the police