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How to Avoid Online Job Search Scams

August 4, 2020 by Paul Schwegler

Cybercrooks are disturbing people. Consider job-search scams. With the world economy reeling, bad actors are capitalizing on people’s desperation. They’re targeting those looking for work. There are steps you can take to filter out illegitimate opportunities.

Cybercriminals like to be timely. Plus, appealing to people’s emotions improves their success rate, so it’s not that surprising that there’s been an uptick in job-listing scams in 2020.

Avoid Job Search Scams Online

The bad guys are betting people will be less cautious when they see an attractive job offer. Don’t be their victim. Take these steps instead.

Read the job description carefully

This means:

  • Looking for grammatical or spelling errors. As with other cyberscams, someone who is not a native speaker of the posting’s language may write the listing.
  • Being wary of phrases designed to communicate urgency or a too-good-to-be-true offer. You wouldn’t expect to see “quick earning potential” or “unlimited money” in a legit posting.
  • Search for specificity. A legitimate listing will list job responsibilities and industry credentials. Someone faking it is less likely to be able to use the industry vocabulary.

Be wary of instant hiring

No matter the industry, few positions are filled immediately. You should expect the recruiting process to take time. If you are being pressured to take hiring steps urgently, that should be a red flag. Get an email congratulating you on earning the position before you’ve met with anyone? Proceed with caution.

Question modes of communication

Job scammers will rely on online chat interviews and email. If you don’t speak in person with someone, it will be more difficult for you to confirm legitimacy. With emails, read the return address carefully. A scam job might use a close approximation to a big brand to add credibility. (You have to look closely to distinguish between nationalbank.com and nationlbank.com.)

A good strategy is to search the company’s website for a job listing. If you don’t see the role you’re interested in posted, investigate further.

Don’t pay for a job opportunity

Don’t pay an upfront fee for a background check, uniform, or some other testing or training. Don’t provide any of your private personal information at the outset either. Don’t send tax or banking details before a formal offer of employment. Even then, be aware that some scammers take it from start to finish, including interview and job offer.

Trust your instincts

If the job sounds amazing, and you can’t believe how perfect it is, scrutinize the posting. A listing posting an exorbitant fee for easy work or telling you about the stupendous success of another candidate is likely a fraud. Confirm standard job expectations and salary with an online search of career listings.

Falling prey to a job or other cyberfraud can leave you vulnerable to more than disappointment. Victims report loss of money, identity theft, or computer hacking, and more. An IT expert can help with security patches and system upgrades to keep your devices and network safe.

Filed Under: Residential, Security, Tips Tagged With: Fraud, residential, Scams

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Steer Clear of Coronavirus Scams

March 31, 2020 by Paul Schwegler

With the world grappling with a health pandemic, scams are shocking. Regrettably, bad actors are everywhere, always looking for opportunities, and they’re seeing one in the coronavirus. This article outlines what you need to watch out for and how to stay cyber safe.

The last thing you want to read right now is that there’s another threat out there – sorry, but it’s true. Cybercriminals take advantage of fear. They take timely concerns and use them to target victims. Using the anxiety and upheaval around coronavirus is their mission.

So far, several coronavirus-related attempts to cyberscam people have been reported. There are examples of:

  • emails that appear to come from government health departments;
  • offering a tax refund to get people to click on malicious links;
  • memos to staff that appear to come from large employers;
  • COVID-19 test offerings from private companies;
  • fake websites promising to sell face masks or hand sanitizer;
  • soliciting donations to help fund a vaccine.

What to Watch Out For

Another concern is the number of bogus websites registered with names relating to COVID-19. The site can look legit but is set up to steal information or infect the victim’s computer with malware.

You may get an email promising the attached information offers coronavirus safety measures, or information shared by the World Health Organization (WHO) if you click on the link, or a similar email pretending to be from a reputable news source, such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

In another example, an email impersonating a healthcare company’s IT team asked people to register for a seminar “about this deadly virus.” Anyone who didn’t question why IT was organizing the meeting clicked to register. By filling out the form, they gave their details to hackers.

What to Do

Be cautious. It’s understandable that you’re anxious, but don’t let that stop you from taking cyber precautions. You should still:

  • be wary of anything that tries to play on your emotions and urges immediate action;
  • question where emails are coming from – remain vigilant even if the communication appears to come from a reliable source;
  • hover over links before clicking them to see where they will take you – for example, in the WSJ example, the Web address was for the “worldstreetjournal”;
  • avoid downloading anything you didn’t ask for;
  • doubt any deals that sound too good to be true (“a mask that stops the virus 99.7% of the time!”);
  • ignore any communications requesting your personal information;
  • don’t be suckered by fraudulent pleas for charity.

Global health organizations generally do not send out emails with advice. Instead, navigate directly to that reputable health institution for real news.

If you’re still not sure about the validity of the communication, check it out. Do so by calling or using another medium to get in touch with the “source” of the received message.

While there is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, you can put anti-virus protection on your computer. Also, make sure that you’ve applied all available security updates to keep your software safe.

We hope you’ll take care and stay healthy both physically and online in these tough times.

Need help installing security software and keeping your technology safe? Our cybersecurity experts can give your home a tech immunization. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Filed Under: Residential, Security, Tips Tagged With: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Scams, security

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