The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) service has shared a great article on how a DBS check is being used as a recruitment scam, what to look out for and how to protect yourself when looking for work. The scam is usually referred to as an ‘Advance Fee’ scam.
In a ‘previous life’ our CMO led the consumer education campaigns for fraud and scams for a major bank so this is not a new topic to us. Therefore, we not only want to help protect those of you looking for work in roles that required DBS checks and jobs more broadly but we will also look at scams from a wider perspective to help protect those in your care from financial harm.
A good starting point for recruitment scams is this article from Which? which is very useful at explaining the basics but they also provide many guides for all types of scams.
Who’s at risk for recruitment scams?
Simply, everyone but it’s worth being aware that different groups are often more (or less) susceptible to different types of scam.
For example, a money laundering scam that’s called ‘money mule’ is usually targeted at younger audiences, especially those of university age. It’s advertised as a quick way to earn money whilst working from home, for example, as an account manager, account analyst or client services. What quickly then transpires is they’re tasked with moving money between accounts, usually involving their own, and keeping a share. This could lead to a criminal record and in the really extreme but rare cases threats to safety so, please, if you’ve children in your care, particularly of university age, make them aware of this type of scam.
Another classic recruiter scam that tends to impact older individuals is those looking for part-time work. The scammers can be impressively elaborate and put you through a full interview process to create a sense of authenticity to the job offer. The scammer is ultimately trying to get you to provide your bank details under the guise of paying you your salary as you’ve ‘got the job’. This is commonly done to overcome the ‘one time passcode’ text message a lot of banking services use to help protect you from fraud. They pretend this is part of the onboarding process and ask you to share the passcode number - NEVER SHARE A ONE TIME PASSCODE. Your details are actually being use to buy goods or even take out finance agreements like a loan in your name.
We also want to draw your attention to a broader issue with scams for adults at risk and older generations. In general, they are more likely to be a victim of all types of scam but probably not for the reasons you’re thinking. They’re not necessarily targeted specifically by scammers, scammers will target anyone as the Stop Think Fraud campaign points out. But there is a deeper, emotional reason, which is the social isolation and the desire to establish relationships that means these individuals are more likely to be caught out. They tend to have smaller social networks and friendship groups so the social isolation can make them more susceptible to a new ‘friendly’ face offering help. The issue is then multiplied as they’ve fewer people they trust to check what is happening with.
What can I do to protect myself and others?
Everyone is accountable for safeguarding. Financial harm via recruitment scams is no exception and scammers are coming up with more elaborate ways to do this all the time. When friends, loved ones, children or anyone starts talking about a new job or financial opportunities that seem too good to be true, it usually means they are.
How can you be sure your DBS application is going through a reputable, official provider?
Always enquire about who is processing the DBS check.
A list of Umbrella Bodies is available online, so you can check and see if the organisation appears and is legitimate.
A very interesting tactic by DBS is the use, or lack thereof, of their Logo - organisations that are registered with DBS are NOT permitted to use the DBS logo on their websites. If you see a site with it on then it could be a very good indicator that it’s not genuine.
Another aspect to be mindful of is genuine organisations registered with DBS may charge an administration fee separate from the DBS fee. Be cautious if you are asked to pay exorbitant amounts or for payment upfront. If in doubt, refrain from paying any money during the recruitment process.
What can organisations do to reduce DBS scams?
We recently wrote an article about the DBS fee increase and how this could be used for service improvements or driving use of existing services like the automatic update service. There is also a direct crossover with scams and some of the suggestions we put forward could also protect individuals from this DBS scam.
This would also potentially help negate fraudulent groups charging individuals for a non-existent DBS and could also reduce excessive admin fees.
Our recent poll suggests that over 50% of people have more than one DBS! By having to acquire a new DBS for each organisation you work or volunteer for increases the risk of fraudulent DBS services as people may search for the quickest or cheapest option. Although this will require significant policy change and/or service improvements by many governing bodies so the benefits of this superb service can be realised. Many still require a new DBS via themselves or their partnered umbrella provider or they have an out of date and painfully manual process, for example, requiring you to post your DBS certificate to register your automatic updates with them.
Disclosure Scotland are, again, taking a new direction on this moving from the conventional Basic, Standard, Enhanced and their PVG scheme (an optional register for people doing regulated work with children and protected adults) and launching Level 1, Level 2, Level 2 with Barred Service and making the PVG scheme mandatory! Something we fully support.
The article from DBS provides some very useful insights and tips but there are many more resources out there to help you stay ahead of the scammers as they are constantly evolving their approach. Spotting financial harm can be very hard so having trusted people around you and your loved ones gives a greater opportunity to spot when this might be happening. Which? provide a free scam alerts service which is well worth subscribing to and Action Fraud also provide scam alerts subscription service that you can personalise.
Being aware of the latest scams can help you prevent them happening to yourself as well as those in your care
- This is when you pay a fee upfront for goods or services but don't get anything in return.
In a ‘previous life’ our CMO led the consumer education campaigns for fraud and scams for a major bank so this is not a new topic to us. Therefore, we not only want to help protect those of you looking for work in roles that required DBS checks and jobs more broadly but we will also look at scams from a wider perspective to help protect those in your care from financial harm.
A good starting point for recruitment scams is this article from Which? which is very useful at explaining the basics but they also provide many guides for all types of scams.
Who’s at risk for recruitment scams?
Simply, everyone but it’s worth being aware that different groups are often more (or less) susceptible to different types of scam.
For example, a money laundering scam that’s called ‘money mule’ is usually targeted at younger audiences, especially those of university age. It’s advertised as a quick way to earn money whilst working from home, for example, as an account manager, account analyst or client services. What quickly then transpires is they’re tasked with moving money between accounts, usually involving their own, and keeping a share. This could lead to a criminal record and in the really extreme but rare cases threats to safety so, please, if you’ve children in your care, particularly of university age, make them aware of this type of scam.
Another classic recruiter scam that tends to impact older individuals is those looking for part-time work. The scammers can be impressively elaborate and put you through a full interview process to create a sense of authenticity to the job offer. The scammer is ultimately trying to get you to provide your bank details under the guise of paying you your salary as you’ve ‘got the job’. This is commonly done to overcome the ‘one time passcode’ text message a lot of banking services use to help protect you from fraud. They pretend this is part of the onboarding process and ask you to share the passcode number - NEVER SHARE A ONE TIME PASSCODE. Your details are actually being use to buy goods or even take out finance agreements like a loan in your name.
We also want to draw your attention to a broader issue with scams for adults at risk and older generations. In general, they are more likely to be a victim of all types of scam but probably not for the reasons you’re thinking. They’re not necessarily targeted specifically by scammers, scammers will target anyone as the Stop Think Fraud campaign points out. But there is a deeper, emotional reason, which is the social isolation and the desire to establish relationships that means these individuals are more likely to be caught out. They tend to have smaller social networks and friendship groups so the social isolation can make them more susceptible to a new ‘friendly’ face offering help. The issue is then multiplied as they’ve fewer people they trust to check what is happening with.
What can I do to protect myself and others?
Everyone is accountable for safeguarding. Financial harm via recruitment scams is no exception and scammers are coming up with more elaborate ways to do this all the time. When friends, loved ones, children or anyone starts talking about a new job or financial opportunities that seem too good to be true, it usually means they are.
- Be suspicious if email addresses aren’t from a company (eg they use Gmail or Yahoo) or their primary contact is via WhatsApp. Most organisations use formal contact channels.
- Check companies house or overseas registries to confirm that the organisation exists. If it does, contact them directly through officially listed contact details to confirm the job offer.
- If the job is abroad, ask the embassy representing the country how to obtain a visa and cost against what the potential employer has said.
- If you're in contact with a recruiter, search for them online to check they’re genuinely representing the company in question.
How can you be sure your DBS application is going through a reputable, official provider?
Always enquire about who is processing the DBS check.
- If it’s the employer, contact DBS or Disclosure Scotland to confirm they're legitimate.
- If it’s an umbrella organisation on behalf of the employer, verify their authenticity and ensure the employer is registered to use their service.
A list of Umbrella Bodies is available online, so you can check and see if the organisation appears and is legitimate.
A very interesting tactic by DBS is the use, or lack thereof, of their Logo - organisations that are registered with DBS are NOT permitted to use the DBS logo on their websites. If you see a site with it on then it could be a very good indicator that it’s not genuine.
Another aspect to be mindful of is genuine organisations registered with DBS may charge an administration fee separate from the DBS fee. Be cautious if you are asked to pay exorbitant amounts or for payment upfront. If in doubt, refrain from paying any money during the recruitment process.
What can organisations do to reduce DBS scams?
We recently wrote an article about the DBS fee increase and how this could be used for service improvements or driving use of existing services like the automatic update service. There is also a direct crossover with scams and some of the suggestions we put forward could also protect individuals from this DBS scam.
- The ability to apply for a DBS directly yourself, similar to Disclosure Scotland who are launching a service to apply for their PVG register and receive the results digitally as part of new regulation that also digitalises the certificate.
This would also potentially help negate fraudulent groups charging individuals for a non-existent DBS and could also reduce excessive admin fees.
- Driving use of the DBS automatic update service reduces the need to get an additional DBS.
Our recent poll suggests that over 50% of people have more than one DBS! By having to acquire a new DBS for each organisation you work or volunteer for increases the risk of fraudulent DBS services as people may search for the quickest or cheapest option. Although this will require significant policy change and/or service improvements by many governing bodies so the benefits of this superb service can be realised. Many still require a new DBS via themselves or their partnered umbrella provider or they have an out of date and painfully manual process, for example, requiring you to post your DBS certificate to register your automatic updates with them.
- Simplifying DBS levels reduces the need for what is currently 4 separate DBS levels.
Disclosure Scotland are, again, taking a new direction on this moving from the conventional Basic, Standard, Enhanced and their PVG scheme (an optional register for people doing regulated work with children and protected adults) and launching Level 1, Level 2, Level 2 with Barred Service and making the PVG scheme mandatory! Something we fully support.
The article from DBS provides some very useful insights and tips but there are many more resources out there to help you stay ahead of the scammers as they are constantly evolving their approach. Spotting financial harm can be very hard so having trusted people around you and your loved ones gives a greater opportunity to spot when this might be happening. Which? provide a free scam alerts service which is well worth subscribing to and Action Fraud also provide scam alerts subscription service that you can personalise.
Being aware of the latest scams can help you prevent them happening to yourself as well as those in your care