Recruitment scams are on the rise. We’d like you to be aware of the prevalence of recruitment scams, common signs, how to protect yourselves and what to do if you think that you’ve been scammed. 

Common signs of recruitment fraud 

Unrealistic offers 

• Be cautious if you come across an advertisement or receive an email, SMS, WhatsApp message, letter or phone call offering you a guaranteed income or job. It may claim that you can make a lot of money, with little effort, using your personal computer, or guarantee large returns.

Social Media

• Be cautious of fake recruitment company accounts with limited followers and limited posts. Drake recruiters would never ask you to contact us through a personal social media profile or a WhatsApp number. You can contact each of our Drake branches via our Drake New Zealand Contact Page. 

Suspicious email accounts 

• Be cautious of emails from free accounts like Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail. Drake recruiters will not solicit candidates through a non-Drake email address.

Requests for Personal Details 

• Be cautious if you are asked to provide unusual personal details such as date of birth, bank account information, or other sensitive personal information. Drake recruiters only ask for this kind of information during a recruitment process, such as during the completion of an application form or bank account details for the payment of wages.

Vague or unusual information  

Be cautious with communications that provide:

• A vague job description that fails to provide any information about a specific job.
• No street address included and only a PO box or email address. Drake recruiters will always have their branch location details included on their email signature, letterhead etc. 
• No personalisation. Drake recruiters will always address you by your name in all communications.
• Poor spelling and/or grammar.

Payment requests 

• Drake will never charge any sort of fee to candidates as part of its recruitment process.
• Drake will never charge any sort of fee to receive more information about a job. 

How to protect yourself 

• Be suspicious of unsolicited 'work from home' job offers or opportunities, particularly those that require an upfront fee or offer a 'guaranteed income'.
• Do your research. If the job involves making or selling a certain type of product or service, find out if there is a market for it.
• Ask for references from people who’ve done the work or used the product or service.
• If no contact address is provided, decline the opportunity.
• If a stranger asks for up-front payment via money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card or electronic currency, do not pursue the arrangement. 
• Do not agree to transfer money on someone's behalf.
• Regularly review and change your passwords.
• Block and report any fake recruitment social media profiles if they approach you. 

If you think you’ve been scammed 

If you are in New Zealand and have provided personal details such as account details, passport, IRD number, driver's license, or any other personal identification details, contact your bank, financial institution or other relevant organisation immediately.  

• Change your passwords for sensitive accounts such as banking and email.
  
• Report the scam to NetSafe NZ - report a scam here.
• Tell your friends and family about the scam to help them avoid it.

At Drake New Zealand, we take your security extremely seriously. If you or someone you know has been subject to recruitment fraud, after you have acted on the precautionary measures, please let us know by emailing [email protected]. We are committed to always keeping our clients and candidates safe.