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Overseas Employment Scams (cont.)
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back to Employment Scams, page 1
Essentially evaluating the value of a company who claim they can
assist you to find employment abroad comes down to commonsense and
practicality. Use your head and research as much as possible the
claims that the company are making and indeed the company itself.
Not everybody out there is trying to fleece you of your money –
but unfortunately there are enough of them who are. |
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Steps that you can take to avoid becoming a victim are:
- Do Internet searches on the company, the product (where
applicable) and certainly the address, and see what turns
up. You may just find obscure message board postings from
disgruntled customers or even perhaps happy customers extolling
the virtues of the company.
- Talk about any offers for products or services that you
are considering with your family and friends. Often an objective
eye can help you spot the scams from the real deals. Often
we all look for things we want to see, not what we need to
see. Independent friendly advice can save us from making costly
mistakes.
- Insist that any offer or any feedback made over the telephone
is backed up in writing to you before you commit to anything.
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Read any contract that is offered to
you carefully. If possible get the advice of a solicitor
before agreeing to any contract that is offered and equally
be wary of any company that cannot, or will not, give you
a written contract.
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Ask questions. Don’t just leap
blindly into things just because you think it might be your
only chance, or your best chance, to moving and working
abroad. If you are unsure about what exactly you can expect
for your money, ask! It’s easier to pay a little later
than to get money back after a less than satisfactory service
or product.
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Keep a copy of all correspondence that
you have between yourself and the company. You may need it
in the future if things go badly and you need to look to legal
options to get your money back or other compensation. If you
do find yourself on the wrong end of an overseas jobs scam,
let the authorities know. Make as much noise about it as possible
so that other people are not made to become victims of the
same scam and try, where possible, to recover your money.
Many companies that run such fraudulent activities rely on
the reluctance of people to pursue a refund. They will draw
out the procedure as much as possible in the hope that the
person seeking the refund will eventually just shrug their
shoulders and write the loss off. Of course, if you are in
such a position you must decide how much of your time and
effort it is worth to pursue the money. It is far better never
to be in the situation in the first place.
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Check with the nearest Embassy or Consulate
for the country the jobs is advertised in to see if they have
any information on the company, or even if you are allowed
to enter the country to work. Remember, it’s not just
about getting a job – it’s also about the immigration
rules of that country and whether nationals from your country
are permitted to enter there and work.
If you are looking for work overseas you might want to check out
our feature on ‘Finding Overseas
Jobs’ for more legitimate ways of securing an overseas
job. Otherwise just use your head when evaluating so-called overseas
opportunities – they are out there, you’ve just got
to know how to go about finding them.
Good luck!
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