A guaranteed employment or income scam claims to guarantee you either a job or a certain level of income. The scammers usually contact you by spam emails and the offers often involve the payment of an up-front fee for a ‘business plan’, certain start up materials or software. The scammers might ask you to make goods which will never be sold or sell you software that doesn’t do what they claimed it would.
Some scammers also offer ‘career’ services that ask you to subscribe to a job directory or list and ‘guarantee’ a job.
Before you respond to an advertisement that guarantees you employment or a certain income, ask yourself why somebody would use spam emails to recruit people? Is the company reputable and well-known? Could the offer be part of a scam?
Very few, if any, reputable businesses offer guaranteed jobs or income through spam emails. Any job offer you receive through a spam email is likely to be a scam. For other types of advertising, you should still be very careful.
Find out what the job actually involves and what evidence they have to support their claim that you are guaranteed a certain level of income. You should check with your fair trading agency who might be able to help you decide if the offer is legitimate. Always check if the company has a refund or buy back policy if you are required to purchase anything up front and don’t deal with a company or person that does not have a physical street address (as they can be very difficult to contact later on).
NEVER reply to an unsolicited or spam email, as this may encourage further contact from the spammers. Remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Very few, if any, reputable businesses will guarantee you a job.
Also remember that jobs which involve selling a product can rarely guarantee any income.
If you have received an offer of guaranteed employment or income, or if you have responded to one you now realise is a scam, you can report it through the SCAMwatch website. You should also spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues to protect them.
Expensive software packages that promise to predict the results of sporting events or share market movements. When they fail to work as promised, refunds are hard to come by.
If you agree to transfer money for someone you don’t know, you let scammers use your bank account to ‘launder’ their dirty money. This puts you and your money in the firing line.
High-pressure sales in high-risk investment strategies. Scammers profit through attendance fees and by selling property and investments at inflated prices.