Freshers beware - Job-Seekers Fall Prey to Online Fraudsters
Written by The Editor
Fake placement agencies have been targeting desperate job-seekers who turn to the Internet in search of jobs. The youth, especially those who are new to the Internet, are falling prey to fake recruiters.
Fraudsters, posing as representatives of well-known multinational companies, dupe naive job-seekers, according to sources in the Cyber Police Station of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Many people have lost money to scammers in the city.
Scammers succeed because they claim to be human resource officials of placement agencies and MNCs. “At least half-a-dozen of such cases have been reported in the city in the past six months,” says a CID official.
These fake recruiters are charging money in the form of ‘processing fees', ‘medical examination fees', ‘interview arrangement fees' and ‘admission fees' from the applicants, they said.
Smart tricksters, most of them based in Nigeria and other African countries, are targeting job hunters in IT sectors.
Modus operandi
Random emails are sent offering jobs or interview calls from companies. Even original logos of the companies are used in the emails, besides providing ‘employee code' and ‘designations' of the persons who have sent the letters.
Scammers direct the “prospective employees” to deposit a nominal fee to continue with the interview processes. Once the amount is deposited, they either close or stop operating that account. Most of the Internet servers are located abroad and it is not easy to arrest such scammers, police said.
Fake offer letters of AMINEX OIL, British Petroleum Company U.K., Marriott Residence Hotel, Dragon Oil and Gas England, Virgin Telecom Company, Zenith Oil Gas Ltd., HCL, Wipro Technologies, Videocon Electronics Industries, Maruti Udyog Ltd., have hit the inbox of many who have lost their money.
Several companies who have been alerted to these frauds have been alerting job-seekers through their official websites.
Not new
Duping of job-seekers is not new in the city. Cases have been registered against at least 20 firms in Ulsoor, J.P. Nagar, Jayanagar, Koramangala and other locations in the last 15 years. “However, in those cases, companies had set up their offices in the city and also recruited personnel,” an officer attached to the Fraud and Misappropriation Squad of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), told The Hindu.
Published in The Hindu, Karnataka Edition: You can see the full article here: http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/20/stories/2011022063080300.htm
