The email for a purported job interview. EXPAT MEDIA

Jobseekers have taken to social media to warn UAE residents about the return of scammers posing as recruiters offering job interviews that would later turn out to be fake. Janica (full name withheld) said she received an email for an interview as a fashion consultant and was asked to visit an office in Dubai’s Abu Hail area. The UAE resident said she immediately spotted it was a scam because the email was not properly addressed to her and she noticed receiving a similar email on several occasions using the same pattern of message, but with different company names. Using this modus, scammers pose as recruiters to lure jobseekers into their office in Sharjah or Dubai where the unsuspecting victims would later be invited to pay up to Dh300 for so-called job placement fee. The job, they would later find out, is non-existent. This is not the first time that jobseekers have warned about such a scam, with police cracking down on these fake recruiters for years. The police have repeatedly urged the public to report such individuals right away. ALSO READ: How to spot a fake job interview In a previous post, resident Unika Iha warned jobseekers of at least four recruitment agencies inviting people on fake job interviews in Sharjah before asking them to pay fees. “If someone invites you for an interview, please don’t go. You will just waste your time and money to reach the venue. They will ask you to pay them a processing fee,” she warned. Iha said the scammers ran their operations in Sharjah’s Abu Shagara area, and in Al Qasimiyah. Ali Lyn Landong echoed the same sentiment. “Sad to say I have gone for an interview in these places. It’s really a scam,” Landong commented on a Facebook group for jobseekers. Bobby Baliwag, one of the victims, said he went for an interview in the Abu Shagara area and was asked to pay Dh300 for a guaranteed job placement. “I said I only have a NOL card. The recruiter then suggested I can make a down payment of Dh50,” he recalled, adding it was at that moment he knew it was a scam. Cris Delamide, another victim, said he was asked to pay Dh200 at one of the so-called job interviews. “Usually if it is a scam, they’ll ask you to go to their office and then when you’re there, they’ll ask you to pay a fee. This is based on my experience,” said Manilyn Ordonez. The Filipina advised jobseekers to ask for an online interview instead. UAE authorities have repeatedly warned residents against an increase in fraudulent activities, with police urging the public to report such incidents. ICA/Expat Media

How to spot a recruitment scammer

1. Sends email or WhatsApp invitation for job interview you didn’t apply for 2. Contacts you through social media sites 3. Uses poor grammar in their correspondence 4. Uses email addresses like yahoo.com, gmail.com, hotmail.com 5. Requests for money to be paid in advance 6. Doesn’t have a direct telephone line ICA/Expat Media
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