As various news stories have reported, employment fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated and common. Anyone can fall prey! The impact on victims can be devastating on both a personal and financial level.
Visit McGill’s Career and Planning Services’ (CaPS) website for tips on how to identify and protect yourself from job scams.
How can you protect yourself from becoming a victim?
- Research the employer thoroughly: Check their website, social media pages, and online reviews. If the company doesn't have an online presence or provides only limited information, it may be a red flag.
- Verify the job offer: Contact the company or person who reached out to you directly through their official contact information to verify the job offer and ask for more details about the position. Ask for an in-person interview or a video conference call to confirm the job offer is legitimate.
- Keep personal information private: Only provide personal information after you have verified the legitimacy of the employer and the job offer. Be cautious of providing sensitive information such as your Social Insurance Number, bank account information, date of birth or any other personal details.
- Trust your instincts: If a job offer seems too good to be true or if you feel uncomfortable about any aspect of the job offer or the employer, trust your instincts and proceed with caution.
What are some warning signs to look out for?
- Job offers that seem too good to be true: Offers that promise higher than average pay for minimal work, the ability to work from anywhere at any time, or other benefits that don't match what's offered in similar jobs.
- No job interview: Being offered a job without any formal interview or in-person meeting with the employer or hiring manager.
- Payment required for employment: Being asked to pay for background checks, training or other costs as a condition of employment.
- Urgency and pressure to act quickly: Employers that pressure you to make a quick decision or accept a job offer on the spot.
- Job offers received without applying: Getting a job offer for a job you never applied to or heard of before.
If you notice any of these warning signs, it's important to be cautious and do your research before providing any personal information or accepting a job offer.
What should you do if you’ve fallen victim to a job or other type of scam?
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has a comprehensive list of the actions you’ll need to take to report the fraud or scam: What to do if you're a victim of fraud
If you spot or were the victim of a scam that specifically targets the McGill community, please also report it to the IT Service Desk.
Additional resources
- Ready to level up your detective skills? Dive in and become a scam-spotting pro!
- The Government of Canada offers a list of typical job scams to be aware of, and how to report these.
- Protect yourself from identity theft online
- Bookmark Secure your journey, McGill’s cybersecurity website and check it regularly. Here, you’ll find tools and resources to help protect yourself from fraud and safeguard your identity.
- Follow the Government of Canada’s Get Cyber Safe awareness campaign on social media for updates on the latest scams impacting Canadians:
