CV stole by criminals
I am often asked, “Can I be a victim of fraud by posting my CV on the web?” The answer is “Yes!”
On average, criminals committing identity fraud only need 3 out of 15 pieces of information, don’t let your online CV give criminals a chance to commit identity fraud.
As job hunters are keen to gain employment, many do not think twice about giving companies the information they request. How do you know if the company you are applying to actually exist?
Criminals can easily advertise for a bogus job just to gain your private information, I even saw one job advert asking for a fee for the company to accept your CV.
Protect yourself from CV ID Fraud
1. Google the company name, gain contact details and check if the company exist
2. Be wary with e-mail addresses not containing the company name (some criminals will advertise a fake vacancy for a real company)
3. Ensure your details have not been saved on a computer desktop or in document files when using public computers and internet cafes
4. Don’t leave your paper CV lying about in public places, shred any CVs before throwing them away
5. While job searching on the internet is a great way to find employment, especially when you can upload your CV onto employment websites, you first need to ensure you do not give to many personal details away.
6. Good CV hosting websites will not show employers your personal information without your consent.
7. Your CV should show your skills and qualities, once an employer is interested they can request a full CV and references. This is because your CV is “live” on the internet for everyone and anyone to see, unlike a paper CV which will only be read by the employer.
8. With the age discrimination act, you no longer need to record your date of birth on your CV-stopping criminals from knowing your age.
9. Only give your forename and surname on your CV
10. Do not include your place of birth
11. Never record your marital status, no employer needs to know this and employers should never discriminate against people being married or single
12. You can use a telephone masking service, stopping you from publishing your private phone number
13. Never give any bank details to an employer until you have a job offer in writing. Employers only need your bank details if they employ you and want to pay your wage into your bank account. Never ever put bank details on a CV.
