Scam Alert

Big income – guaranteed? Unlikely!

How the Scam works

Job and employment scams involve offers to work from home or set up and invest in a ‘business opportunity’. Scammers promise a job, high salary or large investment return following initial upfront payments. These payments maybe for a ‘business plan’, training course, software, uniforms, security clearance, taxes or fees. If you pay the fee you may not receive anything or not what you expected were promised.

Some job offers may be a cover for illegal money laundering activities, where you are asked to act as an ‘accounts manage’ or ‘personal assistant’, receive payments into your bank account for a commission, and then pass the money ono a foreign company.

Job scams are often prom through spam email or advertisements in well-known classifieds and on job seeker websites – even government job seeker websites.

A big dander with these job scams is that you can be asked for a lot of personal details that you should not provide including your tax file number and copies of your passport or drivers licence. This information could be used later for identity theft.

Protect yourself

• Beware of offers or schemes claiming to guarantee income or requiring payment upfront

• Never agree to transfer money for someone else – this is money laundering and it is illegal

• Do not provide your tax file number, divers licence or passport when applying for a job. You may need to provide this information but only after you have stared work.

Money laundering is a criminal offence: do not agree to transfer money for a stranger