Online interviews are becoming a common component in the hiring process. Companies are more likely to invite candidates to interviews held online in 3rd party video conferencing, voice and messaging tools. Legitimate companies recognize communicating through online messaging tools can be beneficial in filling job openings. However, job seekers should be aware that fraudulent individuals may send invitations to online interviews as well in an attempt to lure unsuspecting victims into fraud job offers.

Common tactics used in fraudulent job interviews:

• Company Name is fake with search engines showing little or no internet presence for the company, mailing address, phone number, website, email address or hiring manager
• Company Name is spoofing a legitimate company with search engines showing results for the company, mailing address and/or website BUT the hiring manager’s contact info cannot be found as linked to the real company
   

Red flags suggesting an online interview may be fraudulent:

• Interview invitation requires a candidate to create a profile with a 3rd party messaging tool such as Google Hangouts, Yahoo Messenger, Skype
• Email address and/or phone number of the Hiring Manager cannot be verified in internet searches as being associated to the company
• Messages received contain excessive grammatical errors, lack professionalism or just seem unusual for a job interview
• Candidate is hired after an interview via messages only (with no voice/phone, video or in-person communication)
• Hiring Manager asks for the candidate’s bank information
• Job requirements include receiving payments, shipping goods or making purchases
   

Recommendations to validate the legitimacy of an online job interview:

• Research the company online and contact their Human Resources directly to verify the job opening is valid
• Ask the Hiring Manager for a follow up in-person, video and/or phone interview
• If still uncertain, submit an investigation request to the website from which the Hiring Manager obtained your contact information