SEEK - Protect yourself online

Protect yourself onlineWe’re committed to protecting your privacy online. As part of this commitment, our dedicated online security team regularly trawl the SEEK site for evidence of suspicious job ads and advertisers, and immediately remove them. Using these resources, in addition to other various filtering tools, we’re continually improving our efforts to make job hunting safe and secure.
Fraudulent job adsWe regularly screen for illegal job ads that ask for personal or financial information. However, from time-to-time these job ads may appear on SEEK.
Opportunities that seem too good to be true usually are. Be wary of advertisers or employers requesting the following:
  • An upfront fee (e.g. for things such as 'processing' your application). A genuine advertiser or employer WILL NOT ask you for money or your bank or credit card details.
  • Acceptance of a money transfer where you can retain a portion as 'payment'.
  • Bank or credit card details.
  • A copy of your driver’s licence or passport information as part of the application process.
  • Tax file number. This information should only be provided once you have accepted a genuine job offer.
  • Non work-related personal information, such as your appearance, marital status.
  • SEEK username and password.
  • Any other personally identifying information.
Always check the legitimacy of any job ad, email or employer that seems suspicious before you respond. For example, large well-known companies usually do not include Hotmail or other free email addresses in their ads. If you have any concerns, call the company directly to verify.
If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of a job ad:
  • Do NOT respond to the ad.
  • Report it to SEEK immediately, providing a link to the ad. Report here.
  • Make sure you have up-to-date anti-virus software to protect your computer.
  • If you have supplied your bank account or credit card details, please contact your financial institution immediately and ask for their advice.
  • Be alert for suspicious emails asking for personal details.
If you receive a suspicious email, the best course of action is to delete it immediately. Do not follow any links, or reply to the sender. By following a link, you may accidentally download a 'Trojan' or 'key logging' program, which could compromise your security. By replying, you run the risk of receiving more emails from this source.
Unfortunately, from time-to-time, fraudulent advertisers have found ways to upload job ads and use other features of our site without detection. If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of a job ad, report it to SEEK immediately, providing a link to the ad or a copy of the email.If you suspect fraudulent activity, please:
The most helpful information will be the JobID, link to the ad or a copy of the suspicious email.
SEEK endeavours to ensure that all job ads on our site are for legitimate job opportunities and will remove any job ads that are identified to have contravened our Terms and Conditions. If you suspect that a job ad on SEEK is suspicious please contact us on 1300 658 700 in Australia and 0508 733 569 in New Zealand.If SEEK have contacted you regarding our concerns about the legitimacy of an advertiser, please cease communication with the advertiser immediately and if personal details have been provided, refer to the below.
  • Banking: if you have provided your bank details, please immediately contact your financial intuition.
  • Fraud and identify theft: SEEK works closely with the police. If you feel your identity is compromised, please contact your local police station. SEEK will work closely with your local authority should they request any details.
PhishingPhishing is a type of fraud whereby someone sends you an email, posing as SEEK or another trusted company, in an attempt to acquire your username, password or credit card details. These deceptive messages often mimic legitimate and trusted organisations, like SEEK, and can be sent via email, SMS, instant messaging or social media platforms. The aim of these emails is to trick you into clicking on links to a fake website where you are encouraged to enter confidential details or you may accidentally download a 'Trojan' or 'key logging' program, which could compromise your security.
Common signs of a phishing email include:
  • The email sender may not address you by your name.
  • Misspelling or poor grammar and punctuation and inconsistent graphics/images are common.
  • They may ask for sensitive information or for you to confirm the security of your account.
  • Creating a sense of urgency - scammers may try to test your better judgment by stating that something needs your immediate attention.
  • Sender address may look unfamiliar or peculiar.
  • The email may contain unfamiliar or unexpected attachments - don’t open them as they may contain malicious software.
  • The sender may instruct you to click on a link to sign into SEEK or open an attachment.
If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of an email:
  • Do NOT respond to the email.
  • Report it to SEEK immediately, providing a copy of the email. Report here.
  • Make sure you have up-to-date anti-virus software to protect your computer.
  • If you have supplied your bank account or credit card details, please contact your financial institution immediately and ask for their advice.
  • Be alert for suspicious emails asking for personal details.
If you receive a suspect email, the best course of action is to delete it immediately. Do not follow any links, or reply to the sender. By following a link, you may accidentally download a 'Trojan' or 'key logging' program, which could compromise your security. By replying, you run the risk of receiving more emails from this source. If you suspect that you have received a phishing email you can report it here.
  • Check the sender’s email address; does it appear to come from a legitimate source?
  • If you’re unsure about an email, contact the company using a phone number from their website (not from the email) before you reply.
  • Check that links in emails are legitimate by ‘hovering’ your mouse over the link to view the URL without clicking.
  • Never open an attachment that you’re unsure about as it may contain malicious software designed to infect your computer.
  • Use a spam filter to block deceptive messages from even reaching you.
  • Understand that SEEK, your financial institution and other large organisations would never send you a link and ask you to enter your personal or financial details.
TrojansMalware is malicious software also known as Trojans which are inserted into a computer system for the purpose of causing harm, such as stealing personal and financial information.
It’s important you never click on links or attachments in an email you think is a hoax or if it is from an untrusted/unknown source. If you did click on a link and you are worried, use your security antivirus/anti-malware software to run a scan of your computer or device.Symptoms to look for:
  • Any unusual pop ups asking for personal or financial information, such as credit cards or date of birth.
  • Unusual changes to your Internet Banking pages, e.g. displaying upgrade or 'under maintenance' messages.
  • Irregular webpage layout such as missing fields or additional buttons.
  • Significant slowness in logging on.
  • A "please wait" message replacing the login button after being pressed.
Trust your instinct if something feels suspicious. If it doesn't look quite right, err on the side of caution and assume it's not right.'ASSURE' yourself and stay one step ahead of the fraudsters:
  • Abort what you are doing - close the browser or exit the app.
  • Seek security software updates.
  • Scan your PC/Device to remove threats.
  • Use another device, check for anomalies and payment history.
  • Report any suspected fraud immediately.
  • Enquire further if in doubt.
Scams and spamElectronic junk mail is commonly known as spam. These are electronic messages you haven’t asked for that are sent to your email account, mobile phone number, or instant messaging account. The content of spam messages varies. Some messages promote legitimate products or services, while others will attempt to trick you into following a link to a scam website where you will be asked to enter your bank account or credit card details.
Scammers can easily fake an official-looking email, using the same logo and email design as the real company.
Often your guard is down when you receive an email from a company you've dealt with before, such as SEEK or an online shopping site you use. If you're not expecting an email, always be alert of fake emails before clicking on any links or opening any attachments. If you receive an email from SEEK you are not expecting, don’t click on any links or open attachments. Contact us if you have any concerns.Things to consider:
  • Don’t open messages if you don’t know the sender or if you’re not expecting them.
  • Be suspicious of messages that aren’t addressed directly to you, or don’t use your correct name.
  • Don’t reply to, attempt to unsubscribe or forward chain letters you receive by email.
  • Think carefully before clicking on any links or opening any attachments.
  • Ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on any device used to access email.
  • Protect your email accounts with two-step verification.
  • Sign up to Scamwatch to keep on top of current scams.
The best way to protect yourself from malicious emails is to stop it from reaching you, that way there’s no chance it can influence you into doing something you might regret.Spammers and scammers can be clever though, and some messages might still make it through to your inbox. To protect yourself from these malicious messages:
  • Don’t share your email address online unless you need to, and consider setting up a separate email address just to use for online forms or shopping.
  • If you’re suspicious of an email, access the website by entering it into a browser, not by clicking the provided link.
  • As much as possible, have separate email accounts for personal and business use.
  • Use a spam filter to catch these messages before they get to your inbox. Most modern email systems have reasonably effective spam filters to prevent spam appearing in your inbox. If you’re not sure, ask your internet service provider.
  • Delete spam messages without opening them.
Hints and tipsOur dedicated online security team regularly screen for illegal job ads that ask for personal or financial information. However, from time-to-time these job ads may appear on SEEK.
  • Before entering personal information on a web site, check that your browser address window is green, the URL (web address) has changed from 'http' to 'https' and that a closed padlock icon is present.
  • The safest way to access any web site is to type the web address directly into the browser and bookmark it. Hover over web links with your cursor to check for spelling errors or unexpected web addresses before you click. Phishing emails often contain links to dangerous sites.
  • Choose passwords for your online services that are difficult for anyone else to guess. A strong password is long and complex (a variety of letters, numbers and other characters), unique (not re-used for other apps), current (changed at least every 90 days) and not obvious (avoid dictionary words, dates, names etc.).
  • Only provide information that's necessary for what you're doing.
  • If you're using a public computer make sure you log out before you leave and never let the computer save your passwords or username.
  • Install anti-spyware and anti-virus software to stop intruders getting into your computer system. Run your anti-virus software regularly to scan your system and remove any malicious software.
  • Check the sender’s email address - does it appear to come from a legitimate source?
  • If you’re unsure about an email, contact the company using a phone number from their website (not from the email) before you reply.
  • Check that the links contained in the email are legitimate by ‘hovering’ your mouse over the link to view the URL without clicking.
  • Never open an attachment that you’re unsure about as it may contain malicious software designed to infect your computer.
  • Use a spam filter to block deceptive messages from reaching you.
  • Understand that SEEK, your financial institution and other large organisations would never send you a link and ask you to enter your personal or financial details.
SEEK endeavours to ensure that all job ads on our site are for legitimate job opportunities and will remove any job ads that are identified to have contravened our Terms and Conditions. If you suspect that a job ad on SEEK is suspicious please contact us on 1300 658 700 in Australia and 0508 733 569 in New Zealand.If you suspect fraudulent activity, please:Report it to SEEK - so we can remove any fraudulent ads and alert other jobseekers or advertisers.Report it to the ACCC- who will investigate misleading job and business opportunities or email.The most helpful information will be the JobID, link to the ad or a copy of the suspicious email.
Helpful Links
SCAMWATCHInformation about jobs and employment scams.
Australian Federal PoliceLearn more about your online safety and report fraud and phishing crimes.
MoneySmartASIC acts against financial scam, including online schemes.
Stay Smart OnlinePractice tips and advice on securing your computer and transacting online.
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