Protecting job seekers from scams
Back to All NewsWhat are recruitment scams and what is Linear Recruitment doing about them?
Scams are elaborate schemes used for the purposes of getting hold of individuals' money. Linear Recruitment is aware of the rise in hiring scams. Scammers have become highly sophisticated and subtle in how they target job seekers which makes it difficult for jobseekers to spot the differences between genuine and fake job adverts. Linear Recruitment recommends that you be vigilant in giving out any personal details in response to a job advert. Looking out for any obvious and subtle signs that a job advert may not be genuine.
We are aware of scams currently being conducted via WhatsApp, where the scammer is perpetrating to be a Linear Recruitment employee, sending details of a new role via the app, and requesting candidates to reply to the message in an attempt to get personal details.
Linear Recruitment is an employment business and/or employment agency under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and is regulated by the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate. Linear Recruitment is also a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (“the REC”) and is bound by the principles of the REC Code of Professional Practice and its disciplinary and complaints procedure. This requires us to respect the law and to observe the highest principles of professional conduct. Because of these obligations Linear Recruitment:
- Will never unlawfully charge fees for work finding services. This is because it is unlawful for Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses to do so under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (The Conduct Regulations)
- Will never request personal details, such as your full name, address, date of birth bank account details prior to the point of registering you with Linear Recruitment
- Will never seek to obtain your personal details via WhatsApp and/or text message we will always ask that you complete our regsitration form
- Will never contact you about a job on WhatsApp unless we have obtained your prior consent to contact you via WhatsApp
- Will always be transparent about our recruitment process and how we handle the data you give us. This information can be found in our privacy notice
When looking for a job Linear Recruitment recommends the following do's and don’ts when applying for jobs:
Do | Don’t |
-Double check that the advert you have found is current and listed on the website of the recruitment business it purports to be from [or list other avenues you post job adverts]. If in doubt, contact the relevant recruitment business directly to verify this. | -Don’t give your personal details out, we would never ask applicants to provide us with their bank details via WhatsApp, or text message or phone call |
-Double check if the link provided for the job advert is from a legitimate website.
| -Don’t pay for work finding services; a legally compliant recruitment business would ever charge you to register with it for work finding services. This is a breach of the legislation that all recruitment businesses are required to comply with. |
-Be alert to poor spelling and grammar, Check for poor spelling and grammar. Check that the name of the recruitment business and any details provided are correct by cross checking this on Companies House. | -Don’t communicate with agents that do not have a professional email address or are not listed as working for a recruitment business on its website or verified LinkedIn page |
-Verify the trade body memberships they purport to have. The REC member directory can be found here. | -Don’t communicate with agents that do not have a professional email address or are not listed as working for a recruitment business on its website or verified LinkedIn page |
-Contact your bank immediately if you have given your details to a scammer. | -Don’t respond to WhatsApp/text messages, emails and /or phone calls from contacts not listed on our website with personal details.
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-Report details of the scam to Action Fraud [0300 123 2040], Jobs Aware, and should this involve the use of Linear Recruitment's name then please also report this to us via telephone 0114 2634888 or email feedback@linearrecruitment.co.uk |