Upfront payment
Scammers may ask for money upfront for any reason, including application fees, background checks, training materials or equipment. Legitimate employers don’t require you to pay to apply or work for them.
Guaranteed employment
Beware of job postings or offers that guarantee employment or promise unrealistic results. No legitimate employer will guarantee you a job without a thorough application and interview process.
Vague job descriptions and poor grammar and spelling
Scam job postings often lack specific details about the job role, responsibilities, qualifications and requirements. Job listings may also contain grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and awkward language.
Unsolicited job offers
Be cautious if you receive job offers via email, social media or text message without having applied for a position or interacted with the company.
High-pressure tactics
Scammers may create a sense of urgency by pressuring you to make quick decisions or take immediate action. Legitimate employers provide reasonable timeframes for considering job offers.
Requests for personal information
Be wary if a job application or employer requests sensitive personal information like your social insurance number, bank account details or copies of official documents before you’ve been hired. Legitimate employers can only collect such information once a formal job offer has been accepted.
Generic email addresses
Scammers often use generic email addresses, such as Gmail or Yahoo addresses, instead of professional company email domains. Verify the legitimacy of the email address and sender by hovering your cursor over the email in the From field. If the email address doesn’t seem to match the organization or appears to be a personal email, then it’s probably a scam.
Lack of company contact information
Legitimate job postings will include clear and accurate contact information, including a company’s physical address, phone number and official email address.
Unclear interview details
Confirm the legitimacy of an interview by verifying the location against the company’s official office address and be cautious if the interview location isn’t at a place of work.
