SYNDICATES DUPING JOBSEEKERS OF HUGE SUMS OF MONEY
Scammers demand ‘processing fee’ for vacancies in established firms
NEW syndicates are actively scamming jobseekers for easy gains by promising non-existent work opportunities, including vacancies for professional positions.
Their modus operandi is to demand an upfront processing fee, which amounts to thousands of ringgit per victim, for vacancies in international or multinational corpojob rations.
These syndicates usually create fake websites similar to well-known companies and organisations as a way to lure jobseekers.
CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab said his division received 25 complaints involving fraudulent activity last year. One was from a local company, while the rest were from individuals.
He said through the fake websites, the syndicates would advertise vacancies for positions, such as chief surgeons, paediatricians and project managers, supposedly offered by established organisations.
“In addition to registering bogus mobile phone numbers to contact the victims, the syndicates also use emails as a medium of communication.
“They will send emails to their targets, claiming that they had received confirmation of vacancies that matched their target’s skill sets and experiences.” Amirudin said victims were attracted to positions in renowned organisations, as well as those that offered attractive packages and lucrative salaries. “Interested parties would be required to send a copy of their passport and personal information for verification before they accept the job offer.
“After having the victim in their grip, the syndicates will continue to send emails.
“The victim would then be asked to provide more information, supposedly for the immediate registration of the job.
“They would be informed that they have been offered the job overseas, but were required to make a payment to guarantee the position.”
It is often too late when the victims fall into a trap of making payments as requested by the scammers.
To make matters worse, Amirudin said, the victims not only lose their money, but also expose themselves to identity theft by revealing personal information and data, which could be used for criminal purposes.
Hence, he advised jobseekers to get authentication information of job vacancies, as well as contact the company directly for confirmation.