This is a world of information and technology. Mobile phones, internet, the works, to keep one connected. And yes, there is also the provision of sitting home and making a living through online jobs. Well along with this provision there has been a spate of frauds connected to online jobs. In fact, online job scams rank very high on the list of internet frauds.
I am sure each one of us has at some point browsed through some site offering online jobs. In all these sites, the name Krishna Karpal, a Mumbai based housewife, is featured, advertising that she is earning Rs 4,40,000 per month by just applying for a work-from-home kit and by filling short forms online. Research has shown that no such person exists in any corner of the world. Most probably, the photograph depicting Krishna Karpal belongs to someone who does not even know about this scam.
The funny part is that Krishna Karpal has an equivalent in all countries with different names, a few of them are: Gabriela Valdez from Latin America, Melissa Johnson from Canada, Doris Halkias from Nicosia, Sanaa Al-Kazaz from Amman.
It can be seen from the photographs of the cheques shown as issued to these imaginary individuals that they all have the same amount, and even the cheque number is the same in each case.
It is unfortunate but true that many among the public fall prey to such scams and end up paying for something which is not going to give them any returns.
Why do people fall for such scams
The online job scammers are very smart. They are taking advantage of the psychological weakness of the individuals and target people belonging to the following groups:
- Housewives with household responsibilities, who are unable to step out to work
- Physically challenged and elderly people who are unable to go out to work
- People with minimal educational qualifications
- Asking to make an initial payment: The first obvious reason to get suspicious is, when the online job offer asks an individual to make a payment, no matter however small, for a starter kit. One must remember that the amount may be small for one individual, but when taken from a large group, the scammers make a huge amount.
- Deceptive names: The scammers try and include a word in the name which may indicate that they are, in fact, part of the Government or some prestigious MNC. No matter what the name is, one needs to get it checked thoroughly.
- Claiming to have seen your CV: It is also an extremely suspicious case when someone contacts you with a job offer saying they found your CV online.
- Job offer comes suddenly: No details regarding educational qualifications or experience are asked and the job is offered right away.
- The pay offered is too good to be true. One must realise that then in all probabilities it is not true.
