The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is now alerting people not to fall prey to job scams. Fraudsters have been using innovative methods to defraud the common people. “There has been a surge in the usage of digital modes of payment in recent years. This gained further momentum during the Covid-19 induced lockdowns. However, as the speed and ease of doing financial transactions have improved, the number of frauds reported in retail financial transactions have also gone up," the central bank said in its booklet.
The booklet is intended to create awareness among the members of the public about the modus operandi adopted by fraudsters to defraud and mislead them, while also informing them about the precautions to be taken while carrying out financial transactions.
RBI has tried to explain the modus operandi of online job fraud and the precautions which the common man should take while applying for any job offer, be it in India or abroad.
Online job fraud
Modus Operandi
- Fraudsters create fake job search websites and when the job seekers share secure credentials of their bank account / credit card / debit card on these websites during registration, their accounts are compromised.
- Fraudsters also pose as officials of a reputed company(s) and offer employment after conducting fake interviews. The job seeker is then induced to transfer funds for registration, mandatory training program, laptop, etc.
Precautions
- For any job offer, including from overseas entities, first, confirm the identity and contact details of the employing company / its representative.
- Always remember that a genuine company offering a job will never ask for money for offering the job.
- Do not make payments on unknown job search websites
RBI released a booklet on the common modus operandi used by fraudsters
As part of the public awareness initiative by the Consumer Education and Protection Department, RBI, the country’s central bank recently released a booklet, “BE(A)WARE" on the common modus operandi used by fraudsters and precautions to be taken while carrying out various financial transactions. The booklet aims to increase public awareness about various types of financial fraud perpetrated on customers while carrying out digital payments and other financial transactions.
