We've all seen job advertisements online and through text messages which state that you can work remotely either full time or part time for a high pay rate. Perhaps you've seen jobs that advertise that they are from a reputable company but they give contact information which does not refer to the company at all. Or perhaps you've applied to a freelance role online in which you have to boost products but you have to pay a fee in order to earn a higher commission rate. Seems too good to be true, right? That's because these "job opportunities" are actually scams/fraud.
Recently the Guelph Police released an article online regarding employment scams. This article speaks about how the overall reported losses to job fraud has increased from 7 million in 2022 to 30 million in 2023. With close to 12 million lost in the first 3 months of 2024, the trend continues.
Liberty Staffing Services is an independent staffing agency with multiple branch locations across southwestern Ontario. First established in 1999, Liberty Staffing has been offering quality flexible staffing solutions and employment to job seekers for 25 years! We are a reputable and fully compliant staffing agency. We offer in-house temporary, temporary-to-permanent, and permanent jobs within local factory, warehouse, industrial, and office sectors. The geographical areas that we provide jobs in includes: Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener/Waterloo, London, Stratford, and Woodstock, Ontario.
At Liberty Staffing Services, our main priority is the safety of our employees. If you've registered with us, we would like to provide you with some warning signs of job fraud and tips to help protect yourself.
Here are some signs that you be wary of when applying to any job opportunity (especially when you're applying online), and what you can do to help protect yourself from job fraud.
Warning Signs
- Be wary when a job advertisements state a personal email address to apply to.
- If you are asked to boost any sort of product, this is not a credible job.
- Any job which asks you for payment (to reach the next level of the job etc.) is fraud. Please do not give any money or cryptocurrency. Once a cryptocurrency transition has been completed, it's unlikely to be reversed.
- If you are asked to recruit, or be involved in a pyramid scheme, please be aware that this is illegal in Canada.
- Are you being asked to receive funds into your personal bank account and then to forward the money elsewhere? If so, do not. This is likely money laundering, which is also illegal in Canada.
- If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your gut and don't apply.
Tips to Protect Yourself
- Only apply to job opportunities which advertise the company's email address to apply to.
- Don't apply to any job which requires you to boost a product, app, videos, merchandise, etc.
- Never pay money or cryptocurrency for a job. A credible job opportunity will be paying you, not the other way around.
- Know the signs of a pyramid scheme. If someone is asking you to recruit others, this is a pyramid scheme. Don't apply or get involved.
- If you're being asked to forward money that you've received from the job to another entity, this is likely money laundering. Don't get involved and contact your local police services.
- Check out the company's website before you apply to a job advertisement. Does the company have a website? Does the company/website seem credible?
- Never give out your banking information or any personal information to opportunities that seem like they could be a scam/fraud.
- Trust your gut. If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don't apply.
- For more tips, check out this article from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Contact Liberty Staffing Services
If you're still unsure about whether a job opportunity posted online is a scam/fraud, feel free to contact us and we will try to help. Better yet, apply with us (if you haven't already done so). Liberty Staffing Services is a reputable staffing agency with 25 years of recruiting experience. We connect great people with great jobs, and we would love to help you find a credible, meaningful, local employment opportunity.
