Here’s what these scams look like — and how to avoid them.

What is a job scam?

“This is all an elaborate ruse to encourage a person to make small [payments] initially, then big payments to unlock alleged earnings that they’ve made through performing these tasks.”

There are also two other types of job scams to watch for:

• Bank mule scams: Where victims are unknowingly used to move money through their bank accounts. 
• Fake qualifications: Where victims are encouraged to make payments to receive certifications for jobs that don’t exist.

“There’s no job, there’s no checks being done. It’s just another way, unfortunately, of obtaining money from scam victims,” Lowe said.

Why experts are concerned

“The other dimension of a jobs and employment scam that really makes it such an important candidate for action is, of course, people who are looking for work in difficult economic circumstances are already vulnerable,” Lowe said.

“It might be international students, people on low incomes, people from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and people that might otherwise find it difficult to secure employment.”

How to protect yourself

“That could be a text message. It could be a WhatsApp message or someone reaching out unexpectedly,” Lowe said. “That’s a sign to be on your guard about the message that you’ve received.”

Other red flags include:

• Offers that promise “substantial returns for relatively simple work”.
• Messages claiming to be from “high-profile, well-known recruitment businesses”.