Misinformation has always seeped its way around and more so during the current crisis its starting to get more evident as scammers get more creative. Whether it be information on the television, online, radio and print media, we need to be a little cautious and make use of our better judgement. 

A lot people come across misleading job offers in their job search. Do you know how to spot them? Here are some tips and red flags you could look out for. 

1. Not enough information provided

Misleading job advertisements would sometimes exclude key information such as the nature and location of the job, terms and conditions, wages etc. 

The advertisement could also have poor spelling and grammatical errors interspersed throughout which would also draw attention to some red flags.

2. Search for an online presence

Most bona fide companies will have a website where you could search if the job is currently vacant. You could also scout for their social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook etc to form an idea of how active and genuine they are. Beware since some scammers also setup fake social media accounts, so use this tip in addition to the others.

3. Request for money

Some fraudsters use misleading job advertisements to gain monetary incentives. If there is any upfront payment or a demand for money in an advertisement you should be cautious.

4. Contact the recruiter

To gain some confidence with a job offer advertised by a company you could reach out to their HR or Recruiting team to answer your queries and assist you further. 

These are a few pointers to look out for but you should also trust your intuition. If you sense something wrong, search and research further and be mindful, after all it is your career and future at stake.