FCSA taking action to help prevent job scammers

The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association has taken a stand to protect its members today by acting to help prevent job scammers. The FCSA is working with SAFERjobs, the Safe Advice For Employment and Recruitment organisation, which was set up to provide advice and information to those who could be affected by criminal activities on the part of job scammers who seek to take advantage of potential recruits.

SAFERjobs works with the Metropolitan Police, the National Crime Agency, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and a number of other industry bodies to combat fraud and misleading job advertisements. The FCSA is working with SAFERjobs to help them identify and eradicate those who aim their scams and fraudulent activity at the freelance and contracting workforce.

On average, scams cost affected job seekers around £4000 each in 2014, and although the lower end of the scale can involved sums as small as £10, the ones which seem to have the most success are those which cost £100. Young job seekers between the ages of 18 and 25 are the most likely to be targeted according to the statistics about the most vulnerable groups involved.

The CEO of the FCSA, Julia Kermode, is enthusiastic about the potential for their partnership with SAFERjobs as she believes that the advice they provide to thousands of jobseekers on a monthly basis is excellent. She wants the FCSA to support that service by helping to disseminate the knowledge that SAFERjobs are collecting with their network of contractors and freelancers as well as recruiters, to ensure that they are aware of the types of scam that are circulating.

Keith Rosser, the Chair of SAFERjobs is keen to point out that job scams do not exclusively affect the recruitment industry – they are endemic wherever job seekers are looking for work. Using a reputable recruiter is one of the most effective ways of reducing your chances of being caught by a scam. Scams are not just focussed on entry-level positions in marginal sectors – there are plenty of six-figure salary roles in big industries which aren’t what they seem. Online fraud is such a growing area that the organisation are pleased to have another ally in the fight against the scams and increasing awareness of the issue is the first step in stamping out the scammers.

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