User security on Patchwork Hub

The security of our community members is important to us at Patchwork Hub. To detect any fraudulent behaviour and scams on our platform, we’ve put a number of security measures in place. Although we’re working hard to protect our users, no system is perfect. We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the following article to better protect yourself online.

This article contains information about:

• Scams to be aware of when browsing the internet
• The dos and don’ts when looking for jobs

You may also wish to visit JobsAware (formerly SAFERjobs), to learn more. JobsAware is a non-profit, joint industry law enforcement organisation that strives to combat job scams and provides free advice and resources to stay safe when searching for a job online.

Scams to be aware of

If you come across any scams on Patchwork Hub, please contact us immediately to report them. 

Types of scams may include:

Fraudulent emails and texts

Scam or ‘phishing’ attacks are becoming more common and advanced. These emails often contain company trademarks, logos, brand colours, legal disclaimers and email addresses that look very similar to legitimate ones but have been created by scammers.

Usually, these types of emails will ask you to click on a hyperlink. You can hover your cursor over them to try to see if these links are legitimate. Other similar emails may ask for your financial details, or state that they are ‘processing’ your account for a third party, including PayPal and Amazon.

Fraudulent texts work in a similar way. Such messages will usually ask you to click on a link to provide your account information. They may even take you to a legitimate website. However, if the text has been sent from a mobile number, this is most likely a scam. Before clicking on the link, make sure you read the company policy on scams and ‘phishing’ emails / fraudulent texts for the company that this text appears to be sent from.

These emails and texts can look very real, but always remember that it’s extremely rare for any company to ask for your financial information via email or text. If in any doubt, don’t click on the links provided and report these emails or text messages to us, so that we can look into them. We will never ask our Patchworkers to supply their financial information, bank account numbers or passwords in an unsolicited way.

Fee scams

When you search for a job on Patchwork Hub, we will never ask you to pay a fee to apply for a job. So if you come across any jobs that require you to pay for any of the following services, please report the job to us immediately:

• Job application fees
• Recruiter or job placement fees
• Interview reservation fees
• Training fees
• CV formatting or editing fees
• Background check or DBS fees
• Uniform costs (before you've even started working)
  
  

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) scams

Although some jobs require a DBS disclosure and may ask if you have a recent DBS check on the application form, employers should never ask you to pay for a DBS check if you don’t have one.

Be particularly wary if:

• You are asked to provide sensitive information for a DBS check, including your passport, National Insurance number or financial information.
• The industry you are applying for isn't in healthcare and social care, education or security.
• The employer is asking you to order the DBS check through a third party that is not registered in the Government Directory. If the employer is asking to do the DBS check themselves, contact the DBS directly to check if the employer has been registered to perform these checks.

Cheque scams

Never cash a cheque or purchase equipment on behalf of an employer. Cheque scams often involve elaborate stories of someone needing a personal assistant or a caregiver and can lead to you unwittingly passing on a bad cheque.

Money laundering scams

These scams involve companies asking you to perform a money transfer that could be scam-related. These are typically conducted via Western Union, MoneyGram or cryptocurrencies, such as BitCoin. A legitimate employer would never ask you to transfer money for them.

Shipping scams

These types of scams usually advertise jobs for a “merchandising manager” or a “package processing assistant”. The job entails receiving packages and mailing them to foreign addresses on behalf of someone else using postage-paid mailing labels that would normally be sent via email. These packages could contain goods bought with compromised credit cards and fraudulent postal money orders. An employer should never ask you to use your home address to send or receive parcels.

Dos and Don’ts when applying for jobs

Patchwork Hub aims to establish a safe, accessible and professional connection between applicants and employers. While the purpose of our platform is to facilitate opportunities and do good, unfortunately, there are people on the internet who may try to scam users or defraud them on sites like ours. 

Before you start applying for jobs on Patchwork Hub, we also recommend that you familiarise yourself with some of the following dos and don’ts. This will help you to recognise fraudulent tactics and protect your personal information. 

Do:

1. Check the company email address

Established businesses will usually have an email address that matches their domain. As a general rule, communications from such established companies should not come from publicly available email addresses (such as Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo). Make sure you also check that the email address doesn’t contain a misspelt or ‘spoofed’ company name.

2. Check the job offer

Confirm that employers who respond to your applications are actually offering you the job you applied for. Illegitimate organisations may try and re-direct you to another “position” which involves fraudulent work.

3. Too good to be true?

Be vigilant whenever a company offers a salary, perks and flexibility that seem too good to be true. Make sure you ask if the role has a fixed salary (rather than being "commission only"). Although you may be applying for a remote position, make sure to check if the company has a physical base for operations. Some smaller remote organisations may not, but be wary in case the organisation may not be legitimate. 

4. Check the hiring process

Be careful about any permanent job that is offered with little or no interview or application process. Scammers typically avoid face-to-face interactions while offering a remote position.

5. Contact Patchwork Hub immediately if you notice anything suspicious

We strive to protect our community of Patchworkers as best we can. Therefore, if you receive any suspicious messages or suspect fraudulent behaviour on a job post, please report them to us immediately so that we can continue to protect you.

Don’t:

We are committed to protecting your private data and online safety. These tips will help you avoid some of the typical ‘employer scams’ mentioned above. If you encounter any of these behaviours from a potential user on Patchwork Hub, please report it to us immediately.

1. Never send any payment or payment forms to an employer.

Patchwork Hub is a free-to-use platform for jobseekers and no employer should request any type of payment, charge or a payment form when you apply for a job.

2. Never complete any financial transactions on behalf of a prospective employer.

No matter how good the job may sound, if an employer asks you to complete a financial transaction and you don’t work in a legitimate finance-based role, it’s most likely a scam. Avoid any type of wire transfer, cashing cheques, or dealing with payments and purchases on someone else's behalf. In the same way, do not agree to a job that requires you to open multiple bank accounts. This may be linked to money laundering activities.

3. Do not pay for a DBS check unless you can verify its legitimacy.

Some employment scams get job seekers to pay for a DBS check. This could be an employment scam where individuals pose as hiring employers, requiring someone applying for work to pay for a DBS check. A DBS check also allows such individuals to collect sensitive information, like a copy of a National Insurance Number, passport, or bank details.

4. Never accept money or any payment for work you have not yet performed.

This tactic is commonly used in scams and may be used to entice you into doing a job by showing you how you may benefit financially from the role. This may put you in legal or financial jeopardy, so should be avoided

If you’re suspicious of any job posts, messages or emails, please contact us immediately and identify in the subject line what the risk may be.