Bad elements in our society take advantage of the rashes of the jobseekers who often becomes very hasty in finding a job. They will cheat them of their money or other benefits. As their tricks emerge in different forms and change all the time, job seekers must be calm and careful to guard against these deceptions. The following points illustrate some commonly used tactics. Job seekers have to deal with these situations with extra alertness and should seek help from relevant parties when necessary.
Tactic 1: Financial and Investment Scam
Scams pretending to be foreign investment or marketing companies use a good salary to enlist job seekers for the posts of clerk, copyist and cleaning staff, etc. They then encourage their staff persistently to make investments or even persuade them to transfer to investment posts in order to entice them to pour in their own or their relative’s money. Finally, by claiming failed investments, the employer keeps all the money.
Tactic 2: Loophole in Contract
Some employers manipulate job seekers’ ignorance in labour protection or their negligence. They incorporate unfair rules and terms in the employment contract to deliberately diminish employees’ entitlements.
Tactic 3: Illegal Work
There have been cases that job seekers were trapped into performing illegal work. Legal responsibilities were then shifted from the lawless persons to the employees in illegal activities like soliciting donations for unauthorised charity organisations, collecting repayments of usurious loans, selling pirated compact discs.
Tactic 4: Model/Advertising Company
Some models, entertainers or film/ video show dubbing companies persuade job seekers to join their training/ beauty care courses, or to pay money as casting fee/ recommendation fee/ guarantee money by alleging that they have great potential to act in an advertisement or become an idol. However, no jobs are arranged for the job seekers afterwards and what they have paid is never returned.
Tactic 5: Pornographic Trap
Some entertainment companies run pornographic business in disguise. They make use of high salary and benefits to attract job seekers and uncover the truth only after the applicants have signed the contracts.
How to see through employment traps?
Although tricks come in different forms, we can avoid falling into these traps by being careful ourselves, or by making thorough enquiries about the job, or seeking help from our friends or relevant organisations (e.g. Police, Labour Department etc) in case of doubt.
The following are some salient points for detecting employment traps:
Embrace a Fair Attitude and Set a Realistic Goal
As the proverb says “No pains, no gains”, you should adopt a fair attitude and set a realistic goal. Do not believe in those unrealistic terms in job advertisements like “no experience and academic qualification required, high salary and benefits” or “earn easy money”. You need to have some background information of the company, scope of the job duties and its business nature.
Read the Contract and Other Documents Carefully
Before signing a contract, you should read all the clauses carefully including the employee handbook and other supplementary conditions. If there is anything unclear or unreasonable, do not sign the contract. You can request the employer to allow you some time to examine the contract further. Companies generally allow applicants to take away the contracts for consideration.
Find Out the Trace
Spot if there are any misleading or ambiguous terms in the advertisement
Check if the interviewing process is too hasty or does not screen out any candidates. Or you are only required to give simple information and an interview is even dispensed with.
Check if the salary offered is reasonable and corresponds to the market level for the required qualifications
.
Check the Nature of Duties
If being employed, you should check if the actual duties are the same as what you have learnt from the job advertisement or during the interview
Pay special attention if the employer persuades you to switch to posts related to investment, marketing etc.
If the employer raises unreasonable requests, you should reject them right away and do not even try to perform illegal work for the employer. If it involves criminal offences, you may have a criminal record which leaves unwanted consequences in your future.
Do Not Pay For Fees or Hand Over Important Documents Easily
If you are asked to pay any fees, you should ask its purpose first. Companies rarely ask its employees to shoulder any costs. At the same time, do not loosely hand over important documents like identity card, bankbook or cheque.
Do Not Sign Documents Hastily
To avoid personal loss, do not sign any contracts or authorisation documents, e.g., bank authorisation letter, when you have doubt.
Seeking Help
You should know the rights of an employee before you seek a job. You may contact the following organizations for more information:
Labour Department
Enquiry Hotline: 2717 1771
(the hotline is handled by "1823 Citizen's Easy Link")
![]() | enquiry@labour.gov.hk |
Please refer to Appendix 1 & 2 for the addresses of Labour Relations Division and Employees' Compensation Division) |
Equal Opportunities Commission
![]() | 20/F, Office Tower, Convention Plaza, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong |
![]() | 2511 8211 |
![]() | http://www.eoc.org.hk |
Office Hours:
Monday to Friday - 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Saturday - 9 a.m. to 12 noon
Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data
![]() | Room 2401, 24/F, Office Tower, Convention Plaza, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong |
![]() | 2827 2827 |
![]() | http://www.pco.org.hk |
Office Hours:
Monday to Friday - 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Saturday - 9 a.m. to 12 noon
If you have any doubts or do not know what to do, you should seek advice from your family members or friends. You may also approach the relevant government departments or organisations (e.g., Police and Labour Department) for advice or assistance when necessary.