Fake job scam in Karnataka: Fraudsters dupe candidates on National Career Service portal

If you have passed PUC and get a job offer saying, “You will be paid Rs 30,000 salary per month, that too by doing work from home. Just send a resume on WhatsApp, come to the place we mentioned and participate in the interview,” please do not trust it. If you get any such message and believe it, you are sure to lose money!

Beware of the racket of collecting registration fees, GST fees from thousands of job seekers every day on the pretext of providing employment opportunities in the name of government schemes. 

The National Career Service (NCS) website has been launched under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. However, companies can add details regarding job opportunities in the 'job seeker' section of this government website. Recently, a fraud link has been uploaded on the site  to target young men and women seeking job opportunities. The youth of southern states, including Karnataka, are being cheated the most. Registration charges range from Rs 550 to Rs 1,000 and GST from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500 for each application are being asked from the candidates. 

How are job seekers being cheated?

Pranesh, a job aspirant, who was a victim of this scam informed Republic and said, "If you go to the NCS website and search for job availability details, you will find a section called Job Seeker. If you click on it, you will get information about the vacancies in various organisations such as insurance companies, banks, software companies, etc.”

“Some of the companies' links have been suggested to send personal details (resume) on WhatsApp. A mobile number called HR has been put on it. If you call that number, they will only ask how old you are and from where you are calling. They will then set-up an interview in two or three days and will ask you to come to the location. A mandatory Aadhaar card, bank account details and registration of Rs 5,000 will be required to proceed. Again, they ask you to pay Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500 as GST charges and then they will disappear,” he added.  

No complaints to the police

“Candidates who have been cheated do not lodge a complaint with the police because Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 is a small amount. Even if a complaint is lodged, they will have to go through the process of police investigation,” Veeranna another victim told Republic, adding, "If you claim to have been cheated, you don't tell anyone about the fraud because you don't want to feel embarrassed in front of friends and acquaintances. This is a boon for fraudsters because on an average they call at least 100 candidates in a day."

NCS helpline 1514 for the rescue

The NCS website is original. However, some companies benefit from it as there is a provision to publish employment information of companies in the job seeker category. In order to further investigate, Republic called on 1514, the customer care number of the NCS. On calling that number, a customer care executive of the NCS informs, "It is free to register for a job here.” After inquiring, it was learnt that a person needs to register before applying, however, there is no need to pay any fee for this. The staff will also explain and guide a peron on how to register on the site. 

Keep in mind

1. No company can take a resume on WhatsApp and ask you to pay the fee on GPay, PhonePe.

2. Don't believe it if you get an interview in different cities apart from the location that you have mentioned. Enquire about the company details. 

3. For more information, call 1514 to enquire. They provide comprehensive information about the job and application process. This is a toll-free number.

4. In case you get cheated or come across any such fraud job offer, report to the police. 

Beware of Earn-from-home job scam!

This is a scam where fraudsters send messages on WhatsApp and via SMS stating that you can work in the comfort of your home and earn money. This is a dangerous trend which they encash on by wooing gullible victims. Febin James, a cyber expert told Republic that this is a common trick used by fraudsters to lure victims. 

“The best thing to do is verify the source of messages. The best way to avoid this is to block the source and report it so you can protect yourself from such fraudsters,” he added.