Vulnerable N.S. job seekers lured by fake posting

A scarcity of jobs caused by the pandemic is giving scammers a new window of opportunity to prey on people seeking employment in Halifax.

Laura Draeger, the co-owner of Dilly Dally Eats on Quinpool Road, told CBC Radio'sMaritime Noon that she has been swamped with resumes from people responding to a fake job posting.

Draeger said she received a text from an employee asking if the eatery had posted an advertisement onIndeed.com because resumes were starting to pour in.

Indeed is a popular employment website but Draeger said she never uses it for hiring.

Draeger searched the website for thecaf and saw a job ad with a lot of wrong information.

"Times are tough and there's not a lot of jobs to go around," she said."I think they're preying on that vulnerability."

Draeger said she reported the ad to Indeed, telling them that she was the business owner and she hadn't posted the ad.

That would have been the end of it, she thought, but then she started to get messages via social media from people who had received emails in response to their job applications.

Draeger said the emails, from someone using the name Elizabeth Healy, told applicants they were hired.

"I think what they're doing is pretending to be HR[human resources] and trying to get the information that any human resources or new job you're starting would needto employ you," she said.

"Your social insurance number, your direct banking information ... basically everything that makes you, you."

She posted warnings about the scheme on her company's social media accounts.

Draeger said she hopes no one sent any sensitive information in response to the scam.

"It was really important that I got right on top of reporting it and encouraging anyone who did receive those emails to report them as well," she said.

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