Be Scam Aware

WhatsApp scams are on the rise, be aware of people impersonating jobs.ac.uk by phone and WhatsApp.  

jobs.ac.uk will never contact you through WhatsApp. If you receive a text or call about a job you haven’t applied for, be aware this is highly likely to be a scam.  

If you have been contacted on WhatsApp by someone claiming to be representative of jobs.ac.uk please do not reply or send them any personal information and block them from contacting you again.  

Job offer scams can be more sophisticated than the typical scam and can appear genuine at first. We have been made aware the scammers impersonating jobs.ac.uk are looking to appear more legitimate by combining phone calls and WhatsApp messages. They may use information from a legitimate advert on our site and produce material using our logo.  

If you have been contacted by a jobs.ac.uk “recruiter” this is a scam, jobs.ac.uk do not have recruiters as we only work with Higher Education recruitment teams to advertise roles on our site. If you are still unsure whether it is a scam, please do not hesitate to ask the person for their full name and contact information, you can contact us to confirm they are an employee.  

Here are a few things to watch out for: 

• Platform – jobs.ac.uk (and most legitimate companies) will never contact you through WhatsApp or any other social media platforms regarding recruitment for jobs 
• Research the company – be aware scammers may use real companies as a cover but if your research shows little online presence, be cautious 
• Be wary of unsolicited job offers – if you have not applied for the job being offered or given your contact information to a recruitment agency 
• Verify job offers directly with the company – if you believe the scammer is impersonating a legitimate company, contact them by email or through their website to confirm the job offer 
• Offers that seem too good to be true – high salary for low work hours, no skills or qualifications needed 
• The request of personal information – be aware job scammers can appear genuine at first asking for email address, LinkedIn profile, CV, this will escalate to more personal information as the “hiring” process furthers. 

Please help us discourage scammers by reporting them on the platform they have used to contact you. If you have been affected by a scam please head to Action Fraud, the National Fraud and Cybercrime Reporting Centre, where you can report scammers and access further resources.