Recruitment or employment fraud happens when a fraudster impersonates an employer and attempts to hire you for a job that does not exist. Unfortunately, recruitment fraud is on the increase and the aim is to obtain sensitive personal information or money. Unsuspecting applicants are contacted through unsolicited fake emails, online recruitment services (i.e. LinkedIn), fake social media sites or text messages and will use company employee names and logos to convey legitimacy. You will often be asked to complete a fabricated employment application or to participate in an interview resulting in a fake offer of employment. 

Warning signs 

We have set out our top tips to help you identify recruitment fraud: 

• You are asked for money for an administration fee, visa costs, vetting or security fee, training costs or accreditation fee. RWS will never ask you to pay any type of fee, transfer cash or provide credit card information. 
• You receive unsolicited communications from an individual or websites with which you are unfamiliar or whose domain name is inconsistent with the RWS.com business. 
• They request personal information such as passport and bank account details at an early stage as part of the application process. 
• They email you from free web-based email accounts such as Yahoo, Gmail or Live.com. 
• They make substantial spelling and grammatical errors in their communications. 
• Their job description is vague or poorly written. 
• You are asked to click unsolicited links or attachments. 
• They insist on urgency from the outset. 
• You are offered a job offer immediately or without an interview. 
• You are instantly offered a high salary. 

Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Legitimate information regarding career opportunities at RWS can always be found on https://www.rws.com/about/careers/ 

If you believe you have been the victim of recruitment or employment fraud, stop all engagement with them and never send them a money.