Put the freeze on Winter Olympics holiday job scams

SCAMwatch warns consumers to be wary of advance fee fraud disguised as bogus job offers.

SCAMwatch has received reports about a recruitment agency offering bogus working holidays in Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The international recruitment agency has advertised job vacancies in various online job sites. Successful applicants are promised 'guaranteed' jobs, visas and accommodation.

Before you are 'hired', the agency will ask for a 'deposit' to pay for a variety of fees—to cover things like flights, accommodation and insurance. It has been reported that people have paid significant sums of money ranging from $3000 to $6000 AUD.

Once the money has been paid, it has been reported that the recruitment agency informs 'successful applicants' that their job offer no longer exists. It then becomes difficult, if not impossible, to get in contact with the recruitment agency.

Although many recruitment agencies offer legitimate working holidays overseas, SCAMwatch warns consumers to be wary of job offers that require various upfront fees.

Before you accept any job offers overseas, do your research. Check with the Canadian Embassy and research the recruitment agency before accepting an offer.

Protect yourself

• Don’t accept any offers straight away. Contact the appropriate embassy, and/or government agencies for advice. Discuss the matter with your family and friends.
• Do your homework. Research the recruitment agency.
• Be wary of any job offer that requires upfront fees.
• Never send money or give credit cards or online account details to anyone you don’t know and trust.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Report

You can report this matter to the ACCC’s Infocentre on 1300 302 502 or visit the report a scam page on SCAMwatch.

More information

Explore the SCAMwatch site to learn more about job/employment scams and how to protect yourself.