Job Scam
As of December 2021
4554
victims
Have fallen prey to scammers
S$91.0
million
Total amount lost to scammers
S$4.3
million
Largest amount lost by an individual
WHAT IS A JOB SCAM?
You receive an unsolicited job offer via messaging apps, social media, etc. Very often, potential ‘employers’ will offer high pay with very little time commitment or effort. There are a number of different job scams. ‘Affiliate Marketing’ jobs where you are asked to pay for products in advance to boost the sales of sellers in return for commission. 'Agent' jobs require you to process fund transfers using your personal bank account, then transfer the money through online banking or money transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. Applicants for jobs like 'Assistant Purchaser', 'Stock Takers' or 'Trial Participant' may be asked to reveal details like name, identity card number, phone security code or OTPs. This allows the scammers to access your mobile phone to make online purchases. 'Male Social Escort' jobs promise introductions to wealthy female clients, but only after you pay a registration fee. You may also be asked to pay additional fees such as insurance or membership.
Look out for these scam signs
No legitimate organisation will ask you to you pay upfront before starting a job.
Scammers may ask victims to open an account through an unverified app or website and sign up for paid membership in order to start work.
To build credibility, victims may receive commissions on the first few occasions. After being asked to top up more they will receive no more commission.
Job offers that promise high returns for minimal effort are usually scams.
Scammers will approach victims with unsolicited job offers on social media or messaging apps such as Telegram. They may claim to be from legitimate recruitment companies or renowned organisations.
Once you express interest, they will move the conversation to a WhatsApp group where you get to see conversations or testimonials of success cases to convince you that the job is legitimate.
The recruiter can't give you a specific job description. They do not communicate with an official organisation's email address.
The channels used to communicate with you are limited to social media, messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, etc.
If you are asked for your personal and bank details or to download unverified apps or set up accounts and pay in advance before starting work it's probably a scam.
Do not agree to receive and transfer money on behalf of the company
How to stay safe
Money laundering is a serious offence. Offenders may be fined up to $500,000 and imprisoned for 10 years.
You are responsible for all the transactions that are carried out on your account.
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Protection
ScamShield blocks messages and calls from numbers known to be used in illegal activities.
Find out more at scamshield.org.sg.
