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New research by SAFERjobs reveals that the number of online job scams reported has risen by an incredible 300 per cent over the last year.

Job scams come in many guises - including money mule scams, advance fee fraud and identity theft - and SAFERjobs has reported a surge in offences over the past couple of years.

In the twelve months to September 2015, 380 recruitment scams were reported to SAFERjobs. That figure skyrockets to over 1,240 in the following twelve months to September 2016 - a rise of 327 per cent. Whatsmore, the rate of scams would still appear to be increasing, with almost 140 new reports reaching SAFERjobs in the last calendar month alone.

Since scammers often target students, keeping all of our job seekers safe online is of paramount importance to E4S, which is why we ourselves are a member of SAFERjobs (Safe Advice for Employment and Recruitment).

The non-profit fraud-fighting organisation SAFERjobs was set up by the Metropolitan Police in 2008 and works in tandem with government organisations to advise and protect both job seekers and recruitment sector companies like employment4students. The organisation has just become an incorporated company, a move which will hopefully pursue job scams more comprehensively, and works with all ten of the UK’s top ten online job boards.

Commenting on the continuing rise in job scams and the measures which the organisation is taking, Keith Rosser, the chairman of SAFERjobs, said: “The sharp increase in the number of scams over the past two years has been dramatic, and reflects just how sophisticated and determined criminals have become. The incorporation of SAFERjobs, and our continuing partnership with all of the UK’s top job boards, will allow us to tackle the problem of job scams with the weight and authority it requires.”

Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds MP, also commented on the work being done to prevent job scams, saying: “No job seeker deserves to fall victim to a scam that could see them lose hundreds of pounds, so it’s vital that people do all they can to stay safe while looking for work online. There are plenty of genuine opportunities in the labour market right now – around 750,000 vacancies in the economy at any one time – so it’s important that people learn to recognise the tell-tale signs of a fake job advert.”

“We are working hard to raise awareness and educating the public on the potential risk facing job seekers, and combatting the fraudsters directly,” added Mr Hinds.

You can find more about the ways in which we try to protect you online as a job seeker in our blogpost about student job scams, where you’ll also learn about some of the tell tale signs to look out for.