Employment resources for students

Employment scams begin with experienced con artists posing as recruiters or employers who offer appealing employment opportunities. These scammers sometimes even pose as well-known companies as part of their attempt to trick individuals with fake job offers in order to gather personal and financial information. Throughout their process they often:

• require job seekers to make an initial investment or pay them money in advance. Or the fraudulent employer may provide money to the job seeker (via a fraudulent cheque) and then ask for money (in the form of your legitimate personal funds) to be "returned" or "repaid" to them;
• indicate individuals can work at home;
• utilize internet phone or VoIP systems throughout their recruitment with little to no direct conversation;
• offer a higher salary than most comparable positions;
• indicate no prior or related experience is needed;
• require you to work on your own and may ask you to shop or run errands while they are away on a special vacation or traveling on business.

If you are unsure if your job offer or company of interest is legitimate, please contact Career Services to speak with a Career Consultant! The tips and resources below will also help you to recognize and avoid employment scams.

• People recruiting from out-of-city/province, or overseas "while on business" and who are unwilling to meet in-person.
• Contact email addresses that are generic and do not match a business' legitimate e-mail domain.

  • Tip: If someone claims to be hiring for a company, check the legitimate business? website to see what e-mail domain name is generally used for company or employee emails.

• Emplyers using internet phone or VoIP systems.
• Employers planning to pay wages via a wire service, courier or a 3rd party (e.g. their lawyer or friend).
• Job ads or email communications written with poor spelling and grammar, syntax errors, or with text in all caps or in bold font.
• Employers who are local to Winnipeg but who cannot meet you at the place of business for an interview.

  • If you do not have an opportunity to meet with someone from the organization in-person before accepting the job, you are taking a huge risk.

• Pay money up front. You should never have to pay an employer to work for them!
• Provide a potential employer with financial information during the job application process; this includes your credit card number, Social Insurance Number (SIN), or bank account information.

  • Note: Companies should not ask for financial information over the internet or phone to process payroll. It is common practice to provide this information in-person and at the place of work ONLY after you have accepted a job offer. You should only complete federal forms authorized by the Governments of Canada (i.e. TD1 Personal Tax Credits Return).

• Accept payment for services you have not provided (i.e. as a pre-payment for future work).

  • Note: In many cases, a fraudulent employer will send you a fake cheque and then days later ask for some or all of the money back. Do not send any money back to the employer. You should also never spend money from a deposited cheque until it officially clears your bank account; it can take several weeks for a fake cheque to be discovered.

• Accept a position without a phone or in-person interview. You and the employer need to make a mutual decision about employment.

  • Note: that while it is normal for out-of-province companies to use phone interviews or Skype interviews, you should always verify the employer is legitimate before you accept the position. View the tips and resources listed in the section below.

• Not only is employer research important in creating a strong job application, but it is also a step that can help you to ensure that an employer and job offer is valid. The following tips may help you verify an employer's legitimacy:
  • View the company website to verify contact information and phone the organization directly to confirm the posting and hiring practices.

    • Note: If the company phone number provided is a VoIP Service (Phone over Internet or Telephony), take the time to call the main company line (not the one provided in the posting) and verify that the company made the posting.

  • Are company staff members on LinkedIn?
  • Is the company a member of a known industry sector council?
  • Check to see if the company is listed with the Manitoba Business Information Service or Canadian Corporation Database.

• Does the job seem too good to be true: high pay and minimal expertise required?
• Is the application and hiring process different from other employers?
• Does the employer want to hire me without an interview?

If yes, be cautious and be sure to investigate!
Your intuition or gut-reaction can be your first and last line of defense against employment scams. Talk with friends, family and a career consultant if you're skeptical of a posting or employer.

Report any suspicious or fraudulent postings or employers to the organization being impersonated and the job board host. When you report suspected fraud you protect yourself and others! The organizations listed in the section below can also provide support. The BBB and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre provide notice of past and current employment scams.

• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre - Job Scams
• The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Scam Tracker
  Article: BBB Tips: Employment Scams
• Winnipeg Police Service - Crime Prevention: Frauds and Scams
• Competition Bureau of Canada - Fraud Prevention