Recruitment Scams And How To Protect Yourself
Fraud Alert
Recruitment fraud happens when scammers claim to be, or take on the identity of, a recruitment agency. They will advertise job vacancies that don't exist and request money from candidates to apply for these roles. Unfortunately these scams are increasing and Ashdown Group is aware that scammers are unlawfully using the Ashdown name and identity in order to obtain individuals identity and financial details.
If you have been contacted by a scammer reporting to be from the Ashdown Group please be assured your contact details were not obtained from us, we take data very seriously and have not had a data breach. Contact details were likely obtained from an external source or data leak. We would advise you to check passwords and block those numbers contacting you.
Tips to avoid scams
Recruitment scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the best way to avoid becoming a victim of a job scam is to be aware of the following in your search for a new job:
- You are asked for money to apply for a role. This could be described as an administration fee, security fee or accreditation fee. Ashdown Group will never ask you to pay any type of fee, transfer cash or provide credit card information when applying for a job.
- Poor spelling or grammar in job adverts, emails and other communications.
- The job description is vague or poorly written.
- Correspondence is from generic addresses such as Gmail or Hotmail accounts, or via WhatsApp.
- You are asked for bank (or credit card) details prior to a job offer.
- You are asked to visit websites, click links or open attachments which are not from Ashdowngroup.com.
- You are immediately offered a job without an interview.
- You are offered a salary which seems higher than it should be.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and if you are still in doubt please get in touch and we will be able to verify ourselves.
What to do if you suspect recruitment scam using the Ashdown Group name or logo
If you are unsure that a job advert or communication is from Ashdown Group please contact us gdpr@ashdowngroup.com and we will verify the information you have received.
Ashdown Group email addresses take the format of initialsurname@ashdowngroup.com, e.g jsmith@ashdowngroup.com. If you are contacted by someone whose email address varies from this format, please do not respond.
Ashdown Group do not contact candidates via instant messaging services such as messenger or WhatsApp. We also will not ask for any banking, payment or personal information on any instant messaging services.
What to do if you think you are the victim of a job scam
- Take a screenshot of the scammer’s details and report them to Action Fraud (see Resources below)
- If you have paid any money contact your bank immediately.
- Warn the operators of the website/social media site through which you were contacted and let them know that their site is being used by fraudsters.
Resources
- National Crime Agency – Fraud https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/fraud-and-economic-crime
- Action Fraud (National Reporting Centre for Fraud and Cybercrime) https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/recruitment-scams
- Jobs Aware (SAFERJobs) https://www.jobsaware.co.uk/
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