The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell has issued an advisory to the public, informing and cautioning them against the job frauds that have been resurfacing on social media. In the advisory, police informed people about a fraud claiming a job offer from a multinational beverage company, only to cheat the job aspirants of their savings.
According to police, the incident came to light after a youth, who had come across a social media post, which read that the multinational beverage company, Coca-Cola, was hiring. When the youth had shown interest, he was approached by a man, who claimed to be from the Coca-Cola company, asked the candidate to send his resume, and if he passes, he will have to pay a sum of Rs 8,740, which covers the air tickets, training and accommodation.
A few days later, the youth received a letter on the fake letter head of the beverage company, which stated that he has been selected for the interview and a refundable security deposit of Rs 8,740 has to be paid. Believing that the offer is genuine, the job aspirant immediately wired Rs 8,740 in the account, after which all the subsequent contact was terminated. While the youth kept trying to get in touch with the man, the number was disconnected, which made him realise that he has been duped.
The youth immediately approached Cyber Police in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and lodged a complaint. Based on the complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged and police froze the account wherein the money was transferred. Cautioning the public, Rashmi Karandikar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber) said, "No company would hire anybody through an online interview, and please do not click on any unknown links, as it could be a hoax or a click bait strategy for fraud. Do not share your details with anybody. Moreover, if the link or post claims there is a job offer at a company, do check its authenticity by visiting the original company website to ensure you are not being cheated."
How do we avoid job frauds?
Research the company to ensure they are authentic.
Always use keywords like Fake, Fraud & Scam after the company name while searching on the internet for ensuring that the company is not involved in any negative activities where any of the citizens have reported some similar scam.
No real company hires you without a face to face interview/video conference.
Always try to analyze the company email via visiting their respective website and cross checking the email id that organization utilizes which is used for communication. Maximum time scammers purchase similar looking domains & send mail through it.
An email or telephone interview is always the sign of a scam! Unless there is any legitimate source of communication utilized.
No real company charges any money for a job or for visa or work permit.
Be cautious when dealing with individuals outside of your own country.