Many job offers may come to you through SMS, calls, and emails. Have you ever checked to see if they are legitimate? If you believe that these offers are legit, you are wrong. In many cases, fraudsters send fake job offers to job seekers so that they can make money quickly.
On the lookout for jobs, three men duped online
In three separate cases across the city, three men who looked for jobs online lost their money instead.
Case 1: a 57-year-old man who resides in Andheri with his wife and daughter fell victim to fraud. On July 6, the man had put his application on an online job portal after losing his previous job.
The complainant told the police that he received an email from overseasjob.co on his email address on 10 July, offering him a job. Soon after, the person called him on his mobile and asked for money under the pretext of paying for biodata fees, Skype fees, interview fees, and more.
The complainant was duped into paying Rs 3.13 lakh before realizing what was happening. Following this, the complainant filed a police report.
Case 2: A 30-year-old man in Worli was scammed under the pretense of returning his online registration fee.
The complainant submitted his online application on July 8 for a job for which he paid Rs 5,500. Although he had paid the fee, he was only able to access his account to a limited extent, so he filed a complaint. Later, someone posing as an executive from the online job portal contacted him.
The caller sent the complainant a link asking him to complete the form for a refund application. He was even asked to give details of his bank account.
As soon as the form was submitted, he received an OTP on his registered mobile number, and after giving the six-digit number to the caller, Rs 1.86 lakh was debited from his account in ten different transactions. A case was registered at the Dadar police station after he filed a complaint.
Case 3: Under the promise of getting a job overseas, a 32-year-old man paid Rs 1.76 lakh.
The complainant stated to police that he received a mail on December 13 telling him of a job opportunity abroad. Excited to work outside India, the complainant responded to the email.
An individual posing as an executive from the company contacted him after which he was instructed to transfer Rs 1.73 lakh as payment for passports, visas, and transportation.
According to the caller, their office was located in Bandra Kurla Complex. Having attempted to visit the office but discovering that it did not exist, the complainant filed a complaint at the Dadar police station, and a case was registered.
Warning signs of job scams
1. It is a big warning sign of a job scam when a job offer seems too good to be true. A great job is hard to come by. Usually, fraudulent job offers to contact you claiming that they found your resume online.
2. The job description provided in a fake job offer is unclear. There is no clear indication of what you will be doing.
3. The job offer emails sent by fraudsters are poorly written. They lack professionalism when compared to emails sent by legitimate businesses. They will have a lot of spelling errors in them. As reputable companies have professionals who can write well, they do not make silly mistakes.
4. The job offer is fake if you are asked for confidential information such as bank details. It is common for fraudsters to request your bank account information, claiming to be able to set up a direct deposit or transfer funds to your account. By giving out such information, fraudsters can make fraudulent transactions.
5. A fake job usually requires payment for the offer letter. Many of them claim the amount is refundable. However, if you make the payment, you will not receive a refund. You should keep in mind that reputed companies never ask for payments when offering jobs.
6. It is recommended that digital escrow platforms be used for payment. When making an online payment with Escrow, you do not share your financial information with anyone. There is a platform for escrow called Vouch.
How does digital escrow work?
In digital escrow, a third-party account holds the money deposited by the buyer until the seller fulfills the terms of the contract. The escrow company supervises the transacting parties.
What is the role of Digital Escrow in preventing online fraud in India?
Digital escrow services are offered by many companies in India. Among the most trusted is Vouch.
Vouch’s Digital Escrow service is a transparent way for buyers and sellers to build trust and secure a clean transfer of product and payment. Sellers can feel assured that they will be fairly compensated promptly, and buyers will feel confident that their order will be delivered as expected and on schedule. Vouch Digital Escrow keeps you updated and informed at every step of the transaction process till the end. Vouch’s professionals are always available to assist you with all queries that you may have during the entire transaction process.
There is no scope for deceit or fraud since the payments, shipping, delivery, and execution are carried out under the honest and watchful eyes of the Vouch’s professionals. With Vouch, any business transaction becomes transparent, uncomplicated, and hassle-free. If you ever come across a fraudster asking for OTP, asking you to scan a QR code, or asking you to click on phishing links, you can simply refuse and ask him/her to proceed with the transaction through Vouch.
This is Fraud Story #130. Check back here for more fraud stories and scams that you can protect yourself from.
Safety is not just about protecting your credit, debit card number, and UPI accounts. It's about having control of your money till you've received the product or service you bought online!
Note: This is a good-faith initiative to educate the world about avoiding frauds like these and how to act when you're becoming a victim of such a situation.
Do you have a fraud you would like to report? Please write to us at letstalk@iamvouched.com
