This year, with so many working and attending school remotely, Global Data Privacy Day has been expanded to be Data Privacy Week. For years, HSB has partnered with the National Cybersecurity Alliance for Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Data Privacy Week. We continue our commitment this year by pledging to be a 2022 Data Privacy Week Champion.
Need a new job? Apply Online
Gone are days of printing out resumes and sending them by mail. Today, applying for a job is done almost exclusively online and a lot of personal information is shared. For mid-career and seasoned professionals, familiarity with one’s industry and the companies is helpful in avoiding very risky sites. For entry level applicants, figuring out which opportunities are real and recognizing when a potential employer asks for too much personal information are serious concerns.
Here are some red flags to watch for and some tips for keeping your private information private:
Red Flag
Watch out for opportunities that seem too good to be true. For example, advertisements that claim enormous amounts of money working from home a few hours a week, or postings that list job duties that don’t match the pay.
What to do:
Spend some time researching the company that is offering the opportunity. It won’t take long to discover whether it is a real company, whether the job actually pays, and if the hours and benefits are adequate. If the post doesn’t list meaningful job duties, there is reason to do some research and ask for a job description.
Red Flag
To apply for the job or interview, you are required to use an online messaging service instead of the company’s own human resources or a reputable third party hiring service online.
What to do:
The best thing is avoid applying for a job that involves using a messaging service during any part of the process.
Red Flag
Watch for typos, bad grammar, and lack of professionalism in emails. As with phishing emails and other cons, scammers don’t pay a lot of attention to detail. Also be on the lookout for emails that do not contain the sender’s contact information. Lack of a phone number, company logo, website and physical address are fairly good indications that the email came from a scammer.
What to do:
Read the job posting and any emails you receive from the poster. Do not click on links or attachments. Hover the mouse over the sender’s email address to see where the email actually came from. If you suspect the email is from a scammer, delete it and do not respond.
Red Flag
If the job poster asks for bank account or financial information in order to facilitate either a payment to you or for you to make a payment, that is a big red flag. There is no valid reason to request bank account information during the hiring process before an actual offer of employment and rarely, if ever, a good reason to pay anyone in order to get a job.
What to do:
Steer clear of a job that asks for financial information or payment before you begin work and are certain the hiring company is real and not a scam. Do not put your own money and financial data at risk.
For more information about typical job scams, the Federal Trade Commission provides several examples. If you suspect a post is a job scam, have applied, or are in the hiring process and suspect a scam, report it to the FTC or the state attorney general.
Click here for HSB’s other Cyber blogs on Equipment Connection.
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© 2022 The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company. All rights reserved. This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to convey or constitute legal advice. HSB makes no warranties or representations as to the accuracy or completeness of the content herein. Under no circumstances shall HSB or any party involved in creating or delivering this article be liable to you for any loss or damage that results from the use of the information contained herein. Except as otherwise expressly permitted by HSB in writing, no portion of this article may be reproduced, copied, or distributed in any way. This article does not modify or invalidate any of the provisions, exclusions, terms or conditions of the applicable policy and endorsements. For specific terms and conditions, please refer to the applicable endorsement form.