There are many job opportunities available in the UAE which is a big benefit as the population grows. However, there might also be too many job posts online and on social media that people might have difficulty in distinguishing whether these opportunities are, in fact, the real deal.
Encountering fake job posts that will scam you is quite common especially for the UAE as most jobs are posted online for everyone to easily apply for, and due to this convenient technology it also became a convenient getaway for fake recruiters to attract applicants to apply with them and get hired in the country.
Please Read: What is the Average Salary of Domestic Workers / Housemaids in UAE?
You may have heard about horror stories of people applying to get good jobs inside the country, where they end up travelling far but actually not getting anywhere, which results into worse possible scenarios of either being stranded in a new country or they’ll get bankrupt and be left accepting any type of job available.
If you’re not careful, you will end up giving scammers enough information that they can use against you.
Now, how to prevent and avoid these scams?
To help you out in your job hunt, here’s a guide to 10 common scams that you should always be alert of as these scams in mind there are simple tips that you can consider first before continuing with the job offers or application processes. If you are experiencing one of these fake offers, that’s the time you need to pull back and reassess your situation, awareness of these scams will help you prevent the worst possible scenarios. So, take a note of all these scams and how to prevent yourself from being scammed:
1. You received an invitation to a job you didn’t apply for.
To begin with, online recruiters will try their best to find different people online that is already applying for different job posts that may be similar to what they are offering. It’s very easy to get a public email or contact number from an applicant: as when applying for jobs Online you usually are asked to provide these references beforehand. So in this case, finding a random email or invitation for an interview will always be a red flag.
If you know that you did not send your resume to someone affiliated with the email you received, mark it as SPAM then delete them completely. Make sure to not reply to any of these random emails, it’s best to prevent the scammers from getting any means of communication from you.
2. The email has attached links that sends you to different (risky) sites.
Fake online recruiters will try to scam you by sending you links to “Register” or “Send a completed application form” to a random website or link. Emails that have links ending in “google.com” or “yahoo.com” and links that sends you to a page filled with secondary links, are always a red flag.
Remember that legit companies have enough money to buy real domain names and website hosting services, legit companies will always ensure that their business email are in uniformed with their company name so that their emails are easy to contact. Make sure that the emails you get doesn’t look suspicious in any way.
Additional tip: Turn on any of your virus protection software for your device when you click on random links of emails, that protection from your device will be enough to alert you if you are going to a site that might steal information from you.
3. The company in the email fakes the head office address
Do remember that when it comes to job hunting, it’s very easy to find out if the job is real or not if you look for the address of the company’s head office. For every email you receive of job offers/application process, look for the attached address of the company, open your Google maps and attach the link, the address should show the exact location, and the best part is you can drag that “mini yellow avatar” on the bottom right part of your screen to the exact location which will look at that address via Google’s street view.
If the recruiter did not provide any address of the main office in their email or their websites, it’s a scam!
4. The company in that email doesn’t have an online profile
This can be seen the same way as the previous scam, always remember to check the company’s name and website before applying for that job post. Just copy + paste the name of the company on a search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.) there should always be a website affiliated with the company, if the website doesn’t look like it’s been updated, look for customer reviews or employee reviews, legit companies always have their reviews posted to boost their sales and improve their PR, which is also a benefit for job hunters as you’ll know if the company is real when you see other people review the company’s products, services, and work environment.
5. The email isn’t written professionally
Legit companies hire legit recruiters that has the ability to talk to applicants in a professional manner. They’ll provide a complete email without any errors in grammar, vocabulary and spelling. Compared to online scams there’s always an error within their emails, application forms and even their job posts as well. Look out for those errors, be very vigilant, even if there are no errors, then the tone of their email should always be professional and the choice of words is never poor.
6. Big Money = Bigger Scams
You find that the job post offers a large amount of money but little to no experience is needed? It’s a scam!
If that job offer sounds too good to be true, it’s highly likely it’s a scam, always remember that high paying jobs means more responsibilities. So, if they tell you that you don’t need a lot of experiences for that high paying job post, it’s a scam! Legit companies will provide offers that is in line with your experiences and, allowances and benefits are provided and disclosed properly.
7. The job offer asks you to pay
There are a lot of job offers you to pay a registration fee or perhaps a fee to process your application, this an automatic scam! Legit recruiters will not ask for any money from applicants as that defeats the purpose of applying for a job.
You are supposedly going to work for a company that will pay you, it shouldn’t be the other way around. You should never accept any offer that asks you for money before you start working, even if it’s only a small fee, it’s a scam!
Additional fact/tip: If you’re applying to work in the UAE from a different country, and that job offers asks you to pay for your own entry permits, or visa costs with no contract holding them liable for any of your expenses, or they will ask you to contact a travel agency on your own to get an entry permit to the UAE? It’s a scam. Be careful of these types of scams as this is pretty common especially for those who wants to work abroad. Always remember that legit companies that hires people outside the UAE will have partner travel agencies or will help you throughout the process of getting entry permits, they should shoulder any of your expenses.
(However some companies do not shoulder any of the expenses beforehand, instead, they will give you a contract that will provide closure that they will pay for any of your expenses once you start working for them, this is a legal process, therefore, it’s not considered a scam.)
8. The application process will ask you fill out VERY personal information forms
Is the company asking you to fill-out that long thread of questions about your life that you believe has nothing to do with your job application? Are they asking for your I.D. numbers in a public email thread? Asking for your card details for “payment” purposes in that email thread with no confidentiality? It’s a scam!
Be very alert when it comes to filling-out forms, do not do them willy-nilly just to get your application started, read every question carefully, ask them for any clarifications that you may need about the forms you are filling-out, legit companies will provide you details and descriptions as to why they might need your Identification card details or any details they are asking in their attached application forms.
Legit companies also provides terms and conditions with their application forms, so do read their terms and conditions, don’t skip it! I know we all have a habit of doing that, but trust me, it’s best to read it all when it comes to job hunting.
9. The job proceeds with interviews on instant messaging services or telephone interviews only, and sometimes DO NOT REQUIRE AN INTERVIEW AT ALL!
There are job posts that offers you a 1-day process of your application, for BPO companies around the globe this is quite common, however, in that 1-day process of application there should always be a face to face interview. If you see a job post that tells you that the initial and final interview will ONLY be through telephone or instant messenger sites but the actual job requires you to be in their office? It’s a scam!
If it’s an office-based job, there should always be 1 interview wherein you’ll be faced with an actual interviewer to assess you, personally. If you are applying online from a different country outside of the UAE, you’ll still be asked to do a personal interview through applications such as Skype and Zoom where you will still be able to talk to your interviewer face-to-face through your device’s screen.
Always remember, if the process does not require any interview, or even a short training course for the job, it’s a scam! A real job offer will not give you a job that you’re not sure of or not trained to do.
10. They will send you to a possibly shady areas for your job interview
If the online process seems okay, sometimes, it’s the personal job interviews that becomes problematic. Be very careful when you are invited to places for your interviews, and the places given are in shady areas. You can do the same tip on Scam #3 and #4 for this scam as well.
Make sure you know the area well before you push through with the interview, when they tell you the location, do not send them confirmation right away, do some searching first, open your google maps, paste the location, open the street view, search for areas around that location that may seem dodgy in any way.
It’s best to be cautious especially if you’re unsure of the areas you are going to. A lot of job hunters, especially women, ends up being harassed by what they thought were “recruiters”, if you see that these job posts are sending people to shady areas, report their post as a scam, take a note of their company names and alert the authorities and appropriate government agencies if you can.
Summary
Always remember to be very wary when looking for a job, especially if your main source comes from the internet. Online fake recruiters will do everything they can to lure you in. Most recruiters would even accept any conditions just to meet your expectations but these recruiters will be all talk but no action.
They are trained to notice if the applicants are not experienced when talking with recruiters, which will result into getting you to give them information to either scam you or take money from you. There will be higher salaries, faster application processes and low qualifications needed that they will offer you, which not a lot of people know are all big red flags.
With these scams in mind and the tips to avoid them, hopefully it will be a big help on your job hunting ventures in the future! A final reminder, if you can, try and avoid talking to online recruiters as much as you can. Walk-in interview and application processes are always better than going through the process Online, it’s less convenient but it is safer.