Consumer advocates warn against false job advertisements

Beware of job offers on online platforms that sound too good to be true: "Professionally falsified job advertisements are increasingly circulating online," warns the consumer advice center in Saxony. Fraudsters are also using messenger services to send unsolicited fake job offers. The criminals use this scam to obtain personal data. The data could then be used to obtain money, but also to open accounts in the name of the victims.

The fake job offers often promised far too much pay for little work, it was said. Important information about companies and contact persons was usually missing. "Anyone who immediately receives a job offer and is supposed to identify themselves before the contract is signed should be particularly suspicious," says Franziska Geißler, legal advisor at the Dresden advice center. "This is a typical sign of a fake."

Geißler advises being skeptical of offers that sound too good to be true. Personal data should not be passed on. In addition, so-called video identification procedures should not be carried out if the purpose is unclear. Victims of such job scamming should contact the police.