Estafas Laborales
Las estafas laborales explotan a personas que buscan empleo publicando ofertas de trabajo falsas. Los estafadores pueden recopilar informacion personal para robo de identidad, cobrar tarifas por puestos inexistentes o usar a las victimas como mulas de dinero en operaciones de lavado de dinero.
Tacticas Comunes
- • High-salary jobs requiring minimal qualifications
- • Requests for personal documents (ID, SSN) before any interview
- • Upfront fees for "training materials", "background checks", or "equipment"
- • Work-from-home jobs that involve reshipping packages or transferring money
- • Conducting fake interviews via Telegram or WhatsApp (never through official company HR channels) and sending an "offer letter" the same day
- • Task-based scams where victims are hired to "boost" products by completing online tasks, initially earning small payments before being asked to deposit their own money to "unlock" higher-paying tasks
- • Posting fake remote job listings on legitimate platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, or ZipRecruiter, using real company names and logos to appear credible
Como Identificarla
- The job offer comes unsolicited via email or messaging apps
- Salary is significantly above market rate for the position
- The company asks for money before you start working
- Communication is through personal email addresses, not company domains
- The interviewer or recruiter contacts you exclusively through messaging apps and refuses to do a video call or meet at a company office
- The job posting is vague about the actual role, duties, and company name, or the company name does not match any real business when you search for it
- You receive a check or payment before doing any work and are asked to send part of it somewhere else — this is a classic check fraud scheme
Como Protegerte
- Research the company independently — verify their website and physical address
- Never pay money to get a job — legitimate employers never charge fees
- Don't share sensitive documents until you've verified the company and received a formal offer
- Be skeptical of jobs that seem too easy or pay too well
- Verify job listings by going directly to the company's official careers page — if the position is not listed there, it is likely a scam
- If you are asked to deposit a check and send money elsewhere, stop immediately — the check is almost certainly fraudulent and you will be liable for the full amount when it bounces
- Report fake job listings to the platform where you found them (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.) and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Ejemplos Reales
In the United States, a fake remote job offer using a real Silicon Valley tech company's name sent victims a fraudulent check for $3,500 to buy "home office equipment" — the check bounced days later, leaving the victim liable for the full amount at their US bank.
In the UK, scammers posted fake HMRC tax advisor roles on Reed.co.uk, conducting WhatsApp interviews and requesting copies of passports and National Insurance numbers for "background checks" — the collected information was used for identity theft.
In the Philippines, a Telegram-based task scam paid workers small amounts in pesos to "like" products on Lazada and Shopee, then required a deposit of PHP 25,000 to unlock "VIP" tasks — the deposit was never returned and the group chat was deleted.
In India, fake job offers from supposed IT companies in Bengaluru were circulated on WhatsApp, requiring candidates to pay a "training fee" of several thousand rupees via UPI before onboarding — the companies and positions did not exist.
In Nigeria, scammers posted fake oil and gas industry jobs on Jobberman, requesting applicants pay for mandatory "safety certification" courses — after collecting fees via bank transfer, the recruiters became unreachable.
In Australia, a LinkedIn scam targeted graduates with fake positions at major Australian mining companies, collecting tax file numbers (TFN), bank details, and superannuation fund information under the guise of payroll onboarding.