An unsolicited WhatsApp message last August offered a glimmer of hope for Ms Nayela Deeba, who had been jobless for five months.
The sender identified himself as “Samuel” from a company called Newtonis Technologies. He claimed that Ms Deeba applied for a position through a recruiter, and wanted to brief her on the role. He did not specify the type of job.
Initially, Ms Deeba was excited. “I have almost seven years of experience in the technology sector, so I thought I would have a good chance of securing a job in the same industry,” she says.
The 30-year-old was laid off in March 2023 from her previous role in a tech company. Since then, she has been diligently sending out over 100 resumes each month.
It had been a demoralising process. “I only had about three companies reaching out to me.”
Still, she decided to do her due diligence when she received the WhatsApp message. She started researching Newtonis Technologies. “I remembered reading a lot of news reports on job scams during that period last year, and I wanted to be careful.”
A search online fuelled her suspicions: The company website, which was listed on its LinkedIn profile, didn’t exist.
Ms Deeba decided to confront the sender. “Is this a scam?” she asked. “Samuel” got defensive. He tried to justify the situation by sending what appeared to be a screenshot of an Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) registration.
Upon closer inspection, Ms Deeba found that the company name in the Acra screenshot was not Newtonis Technologies, but “Xtremax Pte Ltd”.
She blocked the sender.
Slow down to protect yourself
Ms Deeba’s experience highlights the importance of verifying the legitimacy of any unexpected job opportunities.
After a long job hunt, it can be tempting to jump at any seemingly promising offer (Ms Deeba eventually found work in a consulting firm).
Job scam victims tend to be younger.
Why are young people more susceptible to job scams?
“This could be due to various reasons such as unfamiliarity with job recruitment processes, eagerness to secure a job, and greater digital exposure – which may increase their likelihood of encountering and falling victim to a scam when they are not as alert,” says Police Superintendent Matthew Choo, assistant director of the Scam Public Education Office, SPF.
There are different types of job scams. The most common types include:
- “Agent” jobs that require you to process fund transfers using your personal bank account, then transfer the money through online banking or money transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. By engaging in this job, victims may also be liable for offences related to money laundering.
- “Affiliate marketing” jobs where you are asked to pay for products in advance to boost the sales and popularity of products on e-commerce platforms in return for commissions.
- “Social media task” jobs where you are asked to help to boost the popularity of online influencers or channels in return for commissions.
“If you have to pay money upfront for a job, it is very likely to be a scam,” says Police Superintendent Choo.
