Anyone job hunting should carefully review the job offers they receive. Anything appearing too good to be true is often that: too good to be true. According to many cases, people have found these opportunities come from a fake job campaign that intends to distribute malware to the unwary.

The Scam

Hackers have found a way to distribute this malware through social media. They use fake social media accounts and present themselves as recruiters for prominent companies. Victims who interact with these “recruiters” may believe them legitimate enough to accept the infected links they send as part of the fake job offers.

Usually, these links lead to a website requiring the victim to solve a CAPTCHA challenge. This step intends to solidify the belief that this is legitimate. Afterward, the victim may download a document detailing the job expectations. However, this document carries a malicious macro for the hacker to exploit. 

This macro retrieves the malware from another location and infects the device that downloaded it. Once infected, the malware can monitor and steal sensitive information the user inputs or saves. Unfortunately, researchers have not discovered the goal of this malware. 

Steps to Avoid the Malware

The best way to avoid this scam is by staying cautious about any job offers you receive. Research the company making the offer, including their contact information and website, to ensure the details match. When you find an open position online, check their website or contact the company directly to ensure it is legitimate.

Never automatically trust offers coming from a prominent social media site. It has proven easy for hackers to pretend they work for legitimate companies. However, cautiousness alone is not enough. Here are other steps to take to protect yourself from hackers:

• Use anti-virus software. Though this software may not protect you from all malware, its scans can detect and protect you from most. This software can also remove malicious software already on your device and prevent you from clicking or opening infected files.
• Update your operating system. Make sure you keep your operating system and applications up to date. This step can make your device less vulnerable to hackers.
• Avoid sharing sensitive information early in the hiring process. Jobseekers should avoid sharing too much, too soon. Most reputable employers request information later in the hiring process. As such, any recruiter asking for personal or financial details early in the application is likely a fraud.
• Check the sender’s email address and details. Verify the sender’s email address matches the company’s official domain. Should the email contain links, ensure you hover over it before clicking. If you look in the screen’s bottom left corner, you will see the URL’s destination. You should act cautiously if the link does not match the destination.

Receiving job offers is exciting and often a breath of relief. However, job hunters should do their due diligence and ensure its legitimacy. Follow the steps shared above to improve your chances of avoiding fake job offers. Should you receive a legitimate job offer, consider running a self-background check to ensure hackers did not get your information beforehand. Self-checks also allow you to correct errors and prepare explanations for any negative information.

You can stay one step ahead of hackers and identity thieves by running a quick self background check. Click here to get started.

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New York City started enforcing Local Law 144 on July 5, 2023. This law regulates automated employment decision tools, which should help anyone applying for jobs or promotions. As such, you should know what this law does and how it could help you.

What are Automated Employment Decision Tools?

Local Law 144 defines an Algorithmic Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) as a computer-based tool that uses advanced technology. Examples of this technology include machine learning, statistics, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. It helps employers and employment agencies make decisions about hiring and related matters. The tool is more than just a support system; it significantly assists in — or even — replaces manual decision-making.

The Law’s Requirements

The law has three primary requirements that employers must follow to comply. Employers must perform an annual bias audit on any AEDT they use, give notice to job applicants and employees concerning their use, and publish the results of the bias audit.

It bans employers and employment agencies from using AEDTs without confirming that the tools underwent bias audits. The employer must have the audit conducted by a third-party company. However, only companies certified by the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) before conducting audits.

The employer must notify employees or job applicants ten days before the AEDT screens them. The employer must also provide information about the tool, including the job qualifications or characteristics it will assess. The notice must explain how an applicant or employee can obtain a reasonable accommodation under another law.

Finally, employers must also publish a summary of the most recent bias audit. This summary includes the AEDT’s distribution date, which indicates when the employer started using the tool. Other details include the source of the data used for the audit and an explanation of how the audit ensures fairness.

The summary should also include how many people the AEDT classified under the unknown category. It should provide the number of applicants or candidates, their selection or scoring rates as applicable, and the impact ratios for all categories. Employers must comply with these requirements to ensure transparency and accountability.

Penalties for Non-compliance

Employers who fail to comply could receive fines of up to $25,000 per violation. In addition, the law may require the employer to take corrective action, such as training their employees or stopping all use of the AEDT. However, the law does not require extra steps for employers based on the bias audit’s results.

The DCWP recently issued an FAQ to clarify Local Law 144’s requirements. For example, it reiterated that employers must comply with all anti-discrimination laws. As such, the bias audits would ensure they take action to ensure compliance when needed.

The Benefits for Employees and Job Applicants

This new law protects job seekers and employees from discrimination by AI hiring tools and ensures transparency in hiring. As such, job seekers can expect a fair chance at employment. However, you should be mindful of factors like background checks that can impact hiring and promotions. To increase your chances of employment, consider running a self-background check to correct any errors in your background information. This step could help present an accurate profile to potential employers.

Background checks don’t have to be complicated. Try running a self background check today and give yourself a head start.

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In a recent announcement, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) warned job seekers about a rapid increase in job scams. The BBB also released an in-depth study it performed concerning these increasing scams. The agency found that jobseekers lost approximately $840,000 to these scams in the first three months of 2023. This estimation marks an increase of 250% over the same period in the previous year.

These job scams often result in identity theft. Identity theft is when scammers use stolen information to impersonate the victim, make unauthorized purchases, open new financial accounts, and commit other fraudulent activities in the victim’s name. The BBB’s study revealed that 34% of victims provided their driver’s license numbers, and 25% gave their Social Security Numbers to job scammers. Thieves use this information to take advantage of the victim’s identity.

Another significant type of fraud is the use of fake checks. The BBB noted that 36% of reported complaints concerning job scams accompanied counterfeit checks. As many scammed job seekers have discovered, federal banking rules require banks to credit checks to accounts immediately. However, when the bank discovers fraudulent checks, it recovers that money from the account holder. In many cases, the account holder may have already paid the scammer part or all of these funds for equipment or other expenses needed to acquire the supposed job.

Jobseekers should carefully consider job offers from an unfamiliar employer, taking care not to rush in uninformed. The BBB provided several tips for jobseekers to help avoid these types of scams, including:

• Research job offers thoroughly: This includes using the company’s website to acquire contact information to verify the offer.
• Avoid providing personal information, such as your date of birth, address, or financial information on your resume, online applications, or to anyone you have not already verified.
• Check out the BBB website: Here, you can check the company’s job offers.
• Examine the employer’s email: Emails that do not match the business’s typical protocols are a red flag.
• Avoid jobs requiring paying in advance: Very few jobs require applicants to pay for the job.
• Don’t let your guard down once you start working: The job could still be a scam even after you begin working.

Taking the time to perform due diligence can go a long way to avoiding becoming the victim of a job scam. Self-checks could identify and allow you to correct any inaccurate information that an identity thief might have caused. Act swiftly and promptly report any scams or incidents you discover to the appropriate authorities.

You can stay one step ahead of hackers and identity thieves by running a quick self background check. Click here to get started.

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