Latest news with #TheSafeSide
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Indian Express
The Safe Side
News THE SAFE SIDE NEWS Beware, your dream job may be a scam: Key red flags to watch out for before you apply May 03, 2025 7:02 pm In the 24th edition of The Safe Side, we bring to you tips on how to stay safe from job scams. Through this article, experts will walk you through verifying job postings, spotting red flags, safe practices and what to do if you are scammed. Over 25 mn devices at risk: What is FatBoyPanel, the new malware targeting Indian users? May 02, 2025 6:16 pm Malware can steal your data and cause financial loss in ways you might not even imagine. In the 23rd edition of The Safe Side, we explore a dangerous new malware called FatBoyPanel, how it works, and what you can do to stay protected. When scammers use your bank account: The growing threat of mule accounts May 02, 2025 6:16 pm In the 21st edition of The Safe Side, we walk you through the basics of "mule accounts"—and how innocent people can unknowingly fall into fraudsters' traps by giving access to their bank accounts. Buy now, pay later, regret forever? Alarming rise of BNPL scams in India May 02, 2025 6:19 pm In the 20th edition of The Safe Side, we explore a lesser-known but increasingly dangerous cyber threat—Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) scams. Here's how they work, how to spot them, and what you can do to stay safe. P2P scams: How they can drain your money through UPI in just seconds May 02, 2025 6:20 pm In the 19th edition of The Safe Side, we highlight the rising trend of peer-to-peer (P2P) payment fraud. Scammers are exploiting platforms like UPI and mobile payment apps to trick users into transferring money or revealing personal details. One call could let hackers hijack your life: How call merging scams work May 02, 2025 6:20 pm In the 18th edition of The Safe Side, we spotlight growing call merging scams. We'll explain how these scams operate, the red flags to spot, and steps to protect yourself. How hackers take over WhatsApp accounts and ways to stop them May 02, 2025 6:21 pm This week on The Safe Side, our ongoing series aimed to keep you safe online, we dive deep into WhatsApp hacking. We break down how scammers hack into WhatsApp, why they do it, warning signs to watch for, and, most importantly, how to protect yourself. International Women's Day 2025: Must-have gadgets and apps for women's safety May 02, 2025 6:21 pm With Women's Day here, in the 16th edition of The Safe Side, we're spotlighting smart, practical gadgets and apps that can make a real difference in the everyday life of women. Smartphone lost or stolen? Top cop shares key things to do before it's too late May 02, 2025 6:22 pm The Safe Side, our ongoing series to help you stay safe, is back with its 15th edition, tackling phone theft. From simple ways to protect your smartphone to recognising potential threats, and taking action if the worst happens, here's everything you need to know. Your SIM card could drain your money: A look at scams targeting phone numbers May 02, 2025 6:22 pm The Safe Side, our ongoing series dedicated to keeping you safe online, is back with its 14th edition. This time, we're focusing on the rising threat of SIM card scams. Load More
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Your next job could be a click away, but so is a scam: A guide to spotting the difference
Three weeks ago, Himanshu Semwal, a video editor from Dehradun, thought he landed a promising freelance gig through LinkedIn. The job listing looked legitimate, and the recruiter's profile seemed authentic. He was asked to complete a trial task – a short video edit – to help them 'finalise' a candidate. Eager to impress, Semwal submitted his work the same night, spending hours editing. But by next morning, the recruiter had vanished. He realised he was ghosted and scammed. Someone exploited the job hunt to get free creative labour with no intent to hire. Himanshu's story, shared on LinkedIn, reflects a growing trend – scams are rising even on platforms seen as trustworthy. 'Scammers use attractive offers to extract personal data or push users to phishing sites or adult websites,' said Arya Tyagi, cybersecurity researcher and founder of Webhack Solutions. 'Some demand payment disguised as fees. Always verify recruiter profiles, cross-check company details, and never share sensitive documents like Aadhaar or PAN with unknown contacts,' he said. In the last edition of The Safe Side, we covered the most prevalent job scams – ghost jobs, job offers on WhatsApp and Telegram – discussed spotting red flags, and suggested what to do if you are scammed. This week, we will walk you through tips for a safe job search and dos and don'ts on LinkedIn. With over a billion users worldwide, LinkedIn, launched in 2003, sees more than 65 million people job-hunting weekly. Every minute, over 11,000 users apply for jobs, and seven are hired. With such volume, spotting a scam is increasingly difficult. Aditi Jha, head, legal and public policy, LinkedIn India, told 'LinkedIn often takes action on scams, whether they're detected by their systems or reported by members. Reports help teams investigate patterns, enforce policies, and continue strengthening defenses across the platform.' 📌Verify every job listing and offer: Cross-check listings on the company's official website and contact HR through official channels. 📌Apply via trusted sources: Use reliable portals like LinkedIn, Naukri, or government-approved job boards. 📌Watch out for unrealistic promises: Be cautious if the salary is unusually high or the role sounds too vague. 📌Seek role clarity: Legitimate job listings clearly mention responsibilities, reporting lines, and designations. 📌Understand the interview process: A genuine job will involve defined interview rounds with named interviewers. 📌Check company reviews: Look up the organisation on platforms like Glassdoor to spot red flags from past employees. 📌Beware of too many 'remote' roles: Many companies now prefer hybrid or in-office setups. Mass remote offers are suspicious. 📌Never pay to get hired: Any request for payment – for training, registration, or equipment – is a scam signal. 📌Protect your personal data: Don't share sensitive information like Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, or passwords over chat apps. 📌Talk to someone who's been there: Reach out to friends or connections who've applied to the same company. 📌Use official resources: Stick to certified recruiters, and stay updated on scam alerts shared by authorities. 📌Trust your gut and take your time: If something feels off or rushed, slow down and investigate before proceeding. Jha also spoke about the tools LinkedIn offers to improve safety. 'LinkedIn offers verification badges on job posts and for recruiters, to help members make more informed decisions about a job opportunity. In fact, more than half of the job views on LinkedIn are of verified jobs. They also offer filters for verified jobs and optional safety tools, including message warnings and scam detection, to help reduce risk across the platform,' she said. Jha walked us through a few tips for a safe job search. 📌Think before sharing: Don't provide bank details before the onboarding process. 📌Flag suspicious requests: Say 'no' to suspicious requests and report scams or inappropriate content. 📌Spot job scam patterns: Watch for 'mystery shopper', company impersonator, or personal assistant roles. Be wary of anyone asking you to send money, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or to invest. 📌Secure your account: Make sure you keep your settings updated. Adding an additional phone number or email address to your account can help recover your account if you forget your password. 📌Verified job postings: Look for verification badges showing the job or recruiter is linked to an official company. This includes if the poster is affiliated with an official company page, has verified their association with a particular workplace, or has verified their identity through one of our identity verification partners. 📌Message warnings: Enable LinkedIn's optional automated detection of harmful content, which may detect potentially harmful scams. 📌Job filters: The filter allows you to search exclusively for jobs posted by companies with a verified LinkedIn Page and current job posters associated with those companies. When toggled on, only jobs with these verifications will appear in your search results, and the filter will be visible in the search header. 📌Use passkeys: Set up a passkey. Passkeys allow you to use your device unlock, for example, Touch ID on your phone or laptop, to access your account. Setting up a passkey not only helps keep your account secure, but you'll also be able to log in more easily and faster. 📌Enable two-step verification: Prevent unauthorised logins using two-step verification. It uses more than one form of verification to access an account and can reduce unauthorized access to most accounts from new or unknown computers or devices. For job seekers, a little caution can go a long way, because in the rush to get hired, no one deserves to be misled, ghosted or scammed. The Safe Side As the world evolves, the digital landscape does too, bringing new opportunities—and new risks. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting vulnerabilities to their advantage. In our special feature series, we delve into the latest cybercrime trends and provide practical tips to help you stay informed, secure, and vigilant online.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Beware, your dream job may be a scam: Key red flags to watch out for before you apply
In the last week of March, Manjunath S, a content manager from Bengaluru, received what seemed like a promising call. A recruiter reached out about a job he had applied for through The offer was appealing—better pay, faster growth—just what Manjunath needed with a family of five to support. They asked him to join immediately after three rounds of interviews. He didn't hesitate. With his leave balance intact, he quickly wrapped up at his current job and made April 7 his last working day. But when he arrived at his supposed new office on April 10, there was no name on the new joiners' list. HR informed him the position was 'on hold'. Calls and emails went unanswered. His previous employer couldn't rehire him immediately due to a cooling-off period. Now, with a one-year-old at home, Manjunath is jobless—relying on his wife's income to stay afloat. In another case, a businessman, 27, dealing in electrical poles, fell prey to what seemed like a harmless side hustle. A message offering part-time tasks for easy money turned into a nightmare. Initially, the tasks were simple, and small payments were promised. But the demands quickly escalated. Convinced he was investing in something real, he ended up transferring Rs 57.75 lakh. Then, messages stopped, and the scammers vanished. ICYMI | What is FatBoyPanel, the new malware targeting Indian users? Such scams are on the rise. In 2023 alone, online job scam calls surged by 84 per cent, preying on the hopes, aspirations and desperation of job seekers, especially the young. In this edition of The Safe Side, we break down how these scams work and what you can do to stay safe. A look at common job scams spoke to cybercrime and recruitment experts to understand, in detail, the different types of job scams and how these are orchestrated. According to Harshvardhan Singh, director, Future Crime Research Foundation (FCRF); Vikas Kundu, threat researcher, CloudSEK; and Abhijit Joshi, vice president of products at IDfy, the following are the most widespread job scams in India today: 📌Upfront payment scams: Applicants are asked to pay for registration, training, or background checks and are then ghosted. 📌Overseas job fraud: Fake agencies promise jobs abroad, especially in the Gulf or Europe, in exchange for visa or processing fees. 📌Ghost jobs and fake listings: Roles that don't exist but are posted to collect personal or financial information. 📌Ponzi-style task scams: Victims are lured with microtasks and small rewards before being tricked into depositing large sums. 📌Fake employer offers: Fraudsters offer job confirmations, experience letters or contracts, all for a fee. 📌Work-from-home cons: Jobs that demand upfront payments for training or equipment. 📌Bogus consultancies: Fake recruiters conduct telephonic interviews and charge for paperwork or devices. 📌Social media job ads: Telegram and Instagram are increasingly used to circulate fraudulent listings. What are ghost jobs? 'Ghost jobs are listings for roles that don't actually exist. They're used by some companies purely to build talent pools or test the market. You spend hours customising your resume and waiting for interviews that never come, only to realise months later that there was no vacancy,' said Kundu. 'Ghost jobs are a particularly insidious scam because they prey on hope,' said Singh. 'Scammers use these positions to collect personal information like Aadhaar numbers, PAN details, or even bank credentials. In many cases, they also demand small processing fees, which add up when hundreds fall for the same trap. The biggest damage, beyond the financial loss, is the emotional toll and wasted time, which can be devastating for job seekers who are already under pressure,' he said. Red flags: How to spot a job scam Be cautious of job offers that come through WhatsApp or Telegram, especially if you haven't applied for the role. These messages often use generic greetings instead of addressing you by name and may promise immediate selection without any formal interview process. 📌A major red flag is any request for upfront payments in the name of training, equipment, or paperwork. 📌Scammers may have poor grammar and spelling and contact you via foreign phone numbers or unofficial email addresses like Gmail or Yahoo. They may also pressure you to act quickly. 📌Many of these fake jobs lack a proper online presence, come with vague or no job descriptions despite high salary promises, and do not provide a clear point of contact or escalation channel. 'Scammers are getting more sophisticated,' Singh said. 'We've seen them clone LinkedIn profiles, build fake websites, conduct Zoom interviews, and issue forged offer letters. One 2022 case involved a gang impersonating Indigo Airlines recruiters and duping dozens of applicants out of Rs 75,000 each, promising ground staff positions that never existed.' In most cases, scammers have relayed mass messages without revealing their identities through platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. While no job platform is entirely scam-proof, apps like LinkedIn or Naukri do some basic vetting. Still, fake listings can slip through, often luring users to shady external links. 'Even listings on trusted sites should be double-checked before you engage,' suggested experts, unanimously. What to do if you are scammed 📌Stop all communication with the scammer immediately. 📌Collect evidence—screenshots, emails, transaction records. 📌Report the fraud at or call 1930. 📌File an FIR at your local police station. 📌Notify your bank to block further damage or recover lost funds. The experts also urged schools, colleges, and public institutions to actively raise awareness and conduct workshops to help job seekers identify and avoid scams. The Safe Side As the world evolves, the digital landscape does too, bringing new opportunities—and new risks. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting vulnerabilities to their advantage. In our special feature series, we delve into the latest cybercrime trends and provide practical tips to help you stay informed, secure, and vigilant online.
