Apna App – Know How to Distinguish Fake and Real Work Online

Let’s start this article with a quick question: How many apps are there in your smart devices such as cell phones, watch, tablet, and TV? I’m sure the count is more than a dozen. Now, did you know that there are several imposter apps that scamsters use for spreading malware, stalkware (to stalk the user’s movements) and hacking into personal and financial information? You will be shocked to learn that there has been a steep 51% increase in the use of stalkware apps since the first global lockdown in 2020.

How safe are the job search apps?

With the massive job cuts at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of job seekers has increased manifold. This has led several ethical job apps to come to the rescue of such people, connecting lives to livelihoods. However, the rise in job seekers also created opportunities for job scam, with cyber criminals to take advantage of the insecurities and desperation of the job app users via fake job search apps.

With the increase in number of job scam, the innocent job seekers may have been scammed in the following ways : 

1. Showing fake job offers or connecting the candidates with poor & unethical employers 
2. Taking money from job seekers and then not providing adequate service 
3. Erasing the app’s online presence after charging money for a ‘job placement’ 
4. Misusing the information provided by job seekers 
5. Selling personal data without seeking permission from the user
6. Hacking into the user’s financial records and stealing their money

Such revelations can be worrisome for you, especially if you are planning a rigorous job search to build a strong career.

Wait! Don’t lose hope and treat all job search apps with suspicion. We will tell you the three most effective ways to differentiate between a fake and an authentic job search app at prima facie. 

Features that distinguish a real job search app from a fake one

Here are quick tips on how to identify fake job offers, read to find out:

1. Paid v/s Unpaid jobs 

The best job search apps allow you to apply for jobs absolutely FREE of cost. Such job sites will never ask you for your financial information such as account number, credit card number, or any other bank details. 

• Tip: If a job search app asks you to share any banking info, or asks for a fee or deposit for job applications, run away from it.   

2. Contact information of the employer/ recruiter/ HR

Authentic job apps will provide you with correct employer details such as the name, number, and email id of the recruiter. If an app provides you with HR details that are incorrect or invalid, chances are that it’s a fake job app with zero credible jobs. 

• Tips: There are high chances that the job offer is fake when:
  1. The contact number of HR is wrong or invalid
  2. You are asked to pay some amount of money and then after payment, you are unable to trace or contact the employer 
  3. You are taken through unreasonable documentation and application formalities

3. Availability of customer support 

The genuine app offers customer support to users, whereas fake job app doesn’t have any.

Any trusted app has a customer care team to resolve the queries of its users. Whether you wish to understand the features of the app or want a solution to a problem you may have encountered while using the app, there should be a customer service team to help you. Some job apps have a chat team while some have a direct calling service. Both of these mediums are authentic as long as you receive a response within 24-hours.

• Tips: If you don’t find any contact information of the app service provider or its customer support service, the app is definitely fake. A genuine app never skips this contact information and has a dedicated customer support team to provide solutions and guidance to the users. 

4. Social Media Presence

All genuine apps are quite active on social media as it is a very powerful medium to garner potential users. A really good brand will not only post interesting, original and informative content but also have a lot of engagement on its posts. 

• Tips: If you find very limited information about the brand on social media platforms or no presence at all, it indicates that the job app is fake and can be malicious as well. Never download such an app on your smart devices!

If you are also looking for a genuine job search app, try apna, India’s favourite career-building app. This app has already served millions of job seekers by providing genuine jobs in start-up firms as well as corporations such as Swiggy, Amazon, Flipkart, BYJU’s, LIC, Reliance Jio, Bigbasket, Dunzo, MedLife, Grofers, HDFC and so on. The app is trusted by over 6 Million users for jobs, networking and upskilling. 

Now that you know how to identify fake job offers, here is the best way you can do to find real jobs with safety. You can find jobs in 64 cities including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur & Ranchi through apna app currently. 

Download apna TODAY!