Advice for jobseekers to avoid recruitment scams

The recruitment industry has seen a rise in recruitment fraud as scammers have become highly intelligent in impersonating recruitment businesses and are resorting to more sophisticated and less detectable methods.

One way of checking whether a recruiter is legitimate is to see if they are a member of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation. As the largest industry body our members comply with strict laws and sign up to our code of conduct that goes above and beyond the minimum legal requirements.

A reputable recruiter will not ask you for:

• Payment for finding you a job
• Your bank details up front – your employer will do that once you have signed a job contract and so they can pay your salary.
• Your National Insurance Number or other personal details that could help identify you before you register with them for job finding services.
• A scammer won’t provide you with information about how they operate but a recruiter will be clear about the way they will work with you.

Always make sure that someone approaching you with a potential work opportunity is a legitimate recruiter, and not seeking to scam you for money or personal information. Below are some additional dos and don’t’s.

If you think you have been the victim of a scam you should do the following:

• If the recruitment business purports to be a member of a trade body, confirm this with the relevant body. For example, Job seekers can see a full list of REC members on www.rec.uk.com/jobseekers/member-directory
• Contact your bank immediately if you have given your bank details to a scammer
• Report details of the scam to Action Fraud [0300 123 2040] and Jobs Aware.