SAFERjobs builds transatlantic alliance to combat ‘US’ jobs fraud
13 May 2014
SAFERjobs, the UK recruitment industry’s anti-fraud body, is in the early stages of building a partnership with one of the US’s foremost fraud fighting organisations.
Tue, 13 May 2014
SAFERjobs, the UK recruitment industry’s anti-fraud body, is in the early stages of building a partnership with one of the US’s foremost fraud fighting organisations.
This follows a recent spate of attempted frauds against candidates in the UK that the SAFERjobs’ chair believes began in the US.
Keith Rosser tells Recruiter that the four cases all involved home working jobs, where successful candidates were asked by the employer to receive money from the employer into their bank account, and to transfer that money overseas by money gram. “It seems like it is legitimate but it is money laundering,” he says.
According to SAFERjobs, this scam has been used widely in the US and has now reached the UK. “I would say it is the same people, because the money gram transfer is back to the US, which is worrying,” says Rosser.
He says he is concerned that where the US leads, the UK will inevitably follow. “The pattern is that frauds start in the US and then spread to the UK, which is a good market for fraudsters to move into.
“I would say that job fraud is higher in the US but that the UK is catching up,” he adds.
Rosser says that to halt the spread of jobs fraud across the Atlantic, fraud co-operation between SAFERjobs and US anti-fraud bodies, in particular US body the Better Business Bureau (BBB), is essential. He tells Recruiter he has already spoken to BBB about creating “some sort of information sharing agreement”.
This would allow SAFERjobs to be “pre-emptive” rather than just wait until after events happen, Rosser explains. “I would like to see some co-operation between SAFERjobs and BBB by the end of the summer.”
Rosser recently appeared on the BBC’s Fake Britain (2 May), highlighting the cost to jobseekers if they fall prey to job scams.
This follows a recent spate of attempted frauds against candidates in the UK that the SAFERjobs’ chair believes began in the US.
Keith Rosser tells Recruiter that the four cases all involved home working jobs, where successful candidates were asked by the employer to receive money from the employer into their bank account, and to transfer that money overseas by money gram. “It seems like it is legitimate but it is money laundering,” he says.
According to SAFERjobs, this scam has been used widely in the US and has now reached the UK. “I would say it is the same people, because the money gram transfer is back to the US, which is worrying,” says Rosser.
He says he is concerned that where the US leads, the UK will inevitably follow. “The pattern is that frauds start in the US and then spread to the UK, which is a good market for fraudsters to move into.
“I would say that job fraud is higher in the US but that the UK is catching up,” he adds.
Rosser says that to halt the spread of jobs fraud across the Atlantic, fraud co-operation between SAFERjobs and US anti-fraud bodies, in particular US body the Better Business Bureau (BBB), is essential. He tells Recruiter he has already spoken to BBB about creating “some sort of information sharing agreement”.
This would allow SAFERjobs to be “pre-emptive” rather than just wait until after events happen, Rosser explains. “I would like to see some co-operation between SAFERjobs and BBB by the end of the summer.”
Rosser recently appeared on the BBC’s Fake Britain (2 May), highlighting the cost to jobseekers if they fall prey to job scams.
