Every day, job seekers search for opportunities, but many encounter fake or fraudulent vacancies that waste time or harm finances. On October 3, HR director Dmitry Chernyshov, a practicing psychologist, warned about identifying such traps in an interview with Izvestia.
Chernyshov emphasized the importance of scrutinizing vacancy descriptions. Vague phrases like “diverse work in a friendly team” or “reliable people needed for a new project” often signal non-existent roles without clear tasks. He advised checking for a company’s name, website, and address, as their absence raises red flags. Financial details should also be verified: if the INN does not match the company’s activity or the salary is unrealistic, the offer may be fraudulent.
A suspicious intermediary recruiting “managers” across unrelated fields is another warning sign. Scammers often lure victims with promises of easy money, such as “earning 100,000 rubles at home without effort,” which prioritize quick gains over real work. Chernyshov noted that legitimate companies conduct multi-step interviews and assessments, whereas rushed contracts after brief chats are a clear indicator of fraud.
He also highlighted risks like requests for personal data before official offers or demands to pay deposits, education fees, or equipment costs. These tactics aim to exploit trust and extract money. Additionally, fake vacancies may serve purposes beyond hiring, such as building databases for spam or manipulating market perceptions.
To protect themselves, Chernyshov recommended researching companies through their websites and employee reviews. Asking detailed questions about tasks and working conditions during interviews helps identify genuine opportunities.
Meanwhile, a separate report revealed scammers targeting young people as couriers, using digital copies of deceased individuals created via neural networks. Cybersecurity expert Pavel Mizinov warned that SMS code requests are a telltale sign of fraud, as legitimate services would never ask for such information.
