One in three young people has fallen for a recruitment scam

Close to one in three (29%) of young people aged between 16-24 years old looking for a job have been tricked into sending money or paying a fee, including for training, equipment or an application, higher than any other age group.

The survey released by Virgin Media O2 claims that a similar number (32%) were fooled into clicking a link or downloading an app or software.

Texts pulled from the O2 network show scammers posing as recruiters, promising easy earnings. Genuine examples include:

• “Hello, this is Charles from [recruitment platform]. A job may fit your profile. Reply YES for details or STOP to opt out.”

  
  

• “Simply take 60-90 minutes out of your day to work at your favourite time and place, and you can easily earn £100-£300!”

  
  

• “Hi, I’m Anna from [recruitment agency]. We’ve got a fantastic job opportunity that might be just what you’re looking for. Can i share the details with you?”

Virgin Media O2 is warning young people to stay alert to fake job offers, as it reveals it has blocked more than 1.2 billion scam messages to date, and is using AI to flag more than 80 million nuisance calls every month before customers answer the phone.

Recruitment frauds have cracked the top ten most commonly seen scams, according to the company's Scam Index.

Advice it offers includes:

• Check the source: Find the organisation’s official website independently and use its published contact details to verify the recruiter and vacancy.

  
  

• Look beyond the brand: A familiar company name or logo does not prove a message is genuine.

  
  

• Question the promise: High earnings for very little work or experience required should prompt extra checks.

  
  

• Protect your information: Avoid clicking links, downloading software or sending payments or sensitive details in response to an unverified approach.

  
  

• Report suspicious texts: Forward them to 7726 for free - 7726 is a free service available to customers on every UK mobile network and helps them to identify numbers used by fraudsters.

There is also concern that fraudulent offers could make candidates more sceptical of genuine ones.

Rebecca Siciliano, managing director of Tiger Recruitment, told People Management that organisations being impersonated can have their reputation impacted.

“We’ve had candidates leave negative reviews about experiences that had nothing to do with us,” she said.

Siciliano believes the personal touch may be a way to build confidence with the applicant, and advises HR teams to prioritise transparency, clear communication and consistent recruitment processes.

“Candidates should always know who they’re dealing with, what to expect and how to verify that an opportunity is genuine. Ultimately, recruitment is built on relationships and trust and protecting that trust has never been more important,” Siciliano adds.

“Where you can, have a conversation over the phone and reassure them you’ll never ask for money”.

This article has been created for information purposes only and should not be considered financial advice.

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