School is coming to a close for many post-secondary students, meaning many will be looking for jobs. But London police are reminding those in the job market to be wary of potential fraud.
“We do see a lot of job fraud in speaking with other investigators, as well as our intake,” said Det. Sean Harding, part of the financial crimes unit criminal investigation division with the London police.
“Some form of job fraud is seen in almost half of our occurrences.”
In 2021, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) reported 10.7 per cent of all scams to be employment scams in Canada. The most common way of contact was via email.
“The seventh riskiest scam type reported by Canadians in 2021 was employment scams,” said a report provided by the BBB.
6.6 per cent of Canadians were exposed, losing an average of $201.00.
For those who are looking for jobs and are unsure how to tell if a job is legitimate or not, Harding has some tips.
“Before you accept a job offer, you want to do your due diligence to protect yourself — everything from doing an online search, looking up the name of the company, talking to someone you trust, have someone else look at it. What do they think?
“Don’t pay for the promise of a job. Legitimate employers are not going to ask you to pay upfront and never bank on a clear cheque.”
Many fraudulent employers will send a cheque to be cashed and ask that a certain amount be sent back, either in cash form or via gift cards.
“Potential employers aren’t going to send you a cheque and then ask you to send part or all of the money back to them by gift cards. That’s a fake cheque scam.”
Harding said in the new digital world, you really need to do your research when applying for a job with little to no human interaction.
Darlene O’Neill, director of employment and student entrepreneurial services at Fanshawe College, is an advocate against job fraud.
“It’s in every one of our workshops, it’s in the co-op and we have posters throughout the college,” said O’Neill.
“We’ve also posted on the student and employee portal because we think it’s really important for all employees in the college to be able to advise students on the potential dangers.”
O’Neill said all students are targets for job fraud, knowing they want something as soon as possible.
“Students oftentimes are away from home, maybe for the first time in their life. They want some quick cash while they’re at college,” O’Neill said.
“This applies to both international and domestic students, but international students, in particular, are not really aware of the Canadian job market rights and expectations.”
Fanshawe works closely with students to help them avoid fraud and if something happens, that employer is immediately banned from the Fanshawe job site. They then will work with students to try and recoup those losses.
Those who may experience job fraud can also contact the London police for further assistance. Employment scams can also be reported to the Better Business Bureau.
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