According to a report by APACS, the number of fake job ads rose more than four times over the last three years in the U.K.
Highlights
- In 2008, there were roughly 313,000 cases of consumers registering complaints of identity theft to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
- As per the report by the commission, in February 2009, approximately 15% people said thieves had pulled out employment-related fraud with their stolen identities.
- This is an increase from 14% of 259,266 identity-theft complaints in 2007.
According to the 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report:
- Identity theft on the whole has been on the rise, reaching up to 9.9 million in 2008.
- Economic downturn contributes to this jump, since higher rates of fraud have historically occurred when the economy worsens.
Better safe than sorry
Experts recommend:
- People hunting for jobs should stay alert than ever.
- They should be careful before letting out any personal information, especially Social Security numbers or bank details.
- If a recruiter contacts you especially if you have not applied for that position, and asks for sensitive information, verify the background of the person independently.
- It is best to send your resume directly to corporate sites.
In case you have experienced similar frauds yourself, do share with us what you know.