Job scams are another way for scammers to either get money from you or gain access to your personal information and then blackmail for ransom. There’s two way you can identify if the job or the offer proposed is fishy. Firstly the job requires you to pay for their printed materials by online transfer or the website/email contains URL that redirects you to another page which prompts you to fill in your banking information.
Online job scams come in several ways. It may seem silly for someone to fall for a scam where the job requires to send pictures in an exposed and sexual way. But the victims are usually desperate for jobs which they always dreamt of so the red flags are often overlooked.
This scam has been going on for several years for cabin crew recruitment and recently have started for cadet pilots as well. The job seekers receive email from recruiters who assure getting selected without going through the interview. The whole process usually goes like this, the scammer approaches all these cabin crew wannabes as a recruitment agent. He then assures that the applicant doesn’t have to undergo the selection process by just paying a “security deposit”.
So this applicant wrote an email to the recruiting agent to apply for an opportunity to work as a Flight Attendant. Providing recommendation details of someone whom she knows in the head recruitment team.
The applicant got a reply from the recruitment team saying that they had skipped her interview section, but in order to proceed, she had to send at least 30 pictures informal, sexy and expose way to re-confirm her figure due to the 4 interview section had been skip excused for. Including a copy of IC, passport & education certification. And of course, she provided all the pieces of information and pictures as per request in order to fulfill the requirement.
We had skip your interview section, but we need at least 30 picture of you in formal, sexy and expose way to re-confirm your figure due the 4 interview section had been skip excused for you. Please do fax us your ic copy passport copy, education certification as soon and your picture please do email me personally as soon for me to view your figure and how you looks like.
The impersonator replied,
Dear miss, we would like to inform you that there is a medical checkup on the XX XX XXXX at XXX please be there with original IC and proper attire. Do take note if the uniform security deposit unclearble(rm458),please do submit as soon as possible so that our recruitment department can proceed with uniform measurement for you as well. NOTE : uniform security deposit is returnable into your 1st month salary.
Eventually, there will be no return of the security deposit and the fraudster gets away with 30 pictures and Rm500 cash in hand.
Just a wild thought, what if I am the scammer. I would get easy money of RM 500 plus I have pictures. Now, what If I continue to extort that money every month from the victims? Would they pay out of fear? Feared of their pictures being leaked online and social media. Or worse what if they turned them into call girls or else I ‘ll expose them. Would they be a high-class call girl? So there are more possibilities and consequences. Not just sending pictures online to bypass or expedite your interview selection will make no difference. You are the one who will end up in trouble.
It’s a simple approach and it works, unfortunately. This fraudster has been conducting this either as a group or individually for more than 5 years now. Many have fallen as the victim but didn’t voice out until one of them did recently in 2019. They usually approach new charter airlines as a recruitment agency and is still active until now.
There are two more ways to tell that this is fake:
- Emails accounts such as Yahoo, Gmail, etc
- The incorrect height requirement; minimum 150cm instead of 157
- Incorrect age requirement
- Seldom Updated Facebook Account ( Nurul Huda Affidah)