Scammers Prey on Desperate Job Seekers

They’re frauds targeting some of Canada’s most vulnerable — those desperate for work.

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As unemployment rates rise across the country, so do employment scams. Job schemes have now climbed to the second highest-grossing fraud in Alberta.

“I've seen it for every batch of clients that work with me, that I support in their career journey,” Juanito Gegajo said.

Gegajo is a curriculum developer and instructor at TIES (The Immigrant Education Education Society).

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He’s heard many “horror stories” from his students. One newcomer told him how he thought he’d been hired as a “secret shopper”.

“He received a cheque, and he was told that a portion of the cheque had to be sent back,” Gegajo recounted. “Then he was told to keep $300 for that one day of work.”

“He was so happy because he thought he would $300 for just a few hours of secret shopping.”

What his client didn’t realize, Gegajo said, was that it was his responsibility to pay the bank back if the cheque bounced — which it did.

Another heart-breaking story involved an elaborate scam that stole not only his client’s job prospect, but possibly also his identity.

“He was quite excited. He's an engineer from Nigeria.”

This man was offered a job, with no interview, no meeting.

The “employer” also went to great lengths to assure him it wasn’t a scam, sending him a picture of her holding her driver's license. He was then asked to do the same.

“And then I asked him, ‘Did you do it?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I did that,” Gegajo said. “And then I said, ‘Did you give your bank details?’ ‘Yes, I give them my bank details.’”

“It's a very big red flag — if someone offers you a job right away even without having gone to interviews,” he warned.

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TIES does its best to educate newcomer clients about job scams as part of its employment programs.

“We highlight common fraudulent practices such as fake job ads, scam job offers sent via text or WhatsApp, and identity theft schemes so that clients can recognize red flags early and avoid falling victim,” TIES Manager, Employment & Career Development Mayssoun Hniedi said.

“One of the more concerning trends we’ve seen is clients not being paid on time or at all.”

Hniedi said TIES will help those victims, either by advocating directly with the employer or helping them file a complaint with Employment Standards.

But again, she pointed out the key to not falling victim, is knowing the red flags.

“At TIES, we believe that knowledge is power. By empowering our clients with information about labour laws and real-world scams, we’re giving them the tools to navigate the job market with confidence and protection.”

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Common Job Scams

·      Moving money: Scammers will ask you to do a task, deposit the payment (cheque) and send some of the funds back. You will be required to pay the bank back when the cheque bounces.

·      Phishing for personal/financial information: Fake recruiters ask for personal and financial information before setting up an interview. They will then use this information for identity fraud.

·      Paying for training or materials upfront: Companies promise high earnings, but the employee has to pre-purchase the product upfront first.

·      Crypto job frauds: Fraudsters use the names of real companies across Canada to offer freelance job opportunities to “boost” products, apps or videos using their software. Funds will be deposited into crypto accounts or wallets that only the scammers can access.

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Red Flags:

·      Vague job descriptions: No job details, no skills required.

·      Suspiciously high pay: Salary too high for type of job.

·      Unsolicited job offers: Job offer comes out of the blue.

·      No interviews to get the job: Not meeting the employer either in-person or online

·      Unprofessional communication: Spelling / grammatical errors.

·      Suspicious contact information: Fake corporate email, website.

·      Extras costs/no fees: Having to pay upfront for training/materials.

·      Requesting sensitive information: Asking for bank information, SIN numbers etc.

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More information on various employment frauds can be found at: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

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Media RSVP, Interviews & Inquiries:

Tomasia DaSilva

Media and Relationship Strategist

Email: tomasiadasilva@immigrant-education.ca

Phone: 403-291-0002

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