Recruitment
Scam Alert

Over the last few years, there’s been a rise in the number of recruitment scams targeting jobseekers, typically via WhatsApp but increasingly via voice notes or even video calls too. These scams use the name of a reputable recruitment agency or even an individual consultant to convince you of their legitimacy. Unfortunately, Baker Charles has been one of the names used in scams over the last year.

Has my data been breached?

Your contact details will have been harvested from somewhere by the scammers, but Baker Charles themselves has not suffered a data breach. These scams are widespread and will typically try to prove authenticity by using a well-known and reputable recruitment agency’s name in the body of the text. We don’t have your details on file.

How do I spot a scam message?

Whilst we do use WhatsApp as a method of communication, typically that is only after we have spoken, met or exchanged emails already – it’s not our usual first point of contact. So, if WhatsApp is the only form of communication they want to use to offer you work, this could be a sign that it’s a scam.

If an email address is provided, be sure it is a legitimate Baker Charles one – they will always end with @bakercharles.com

All of our consultants are listed on LinkedIn and can be found on this page on our website, and we will always be clear who it is who is contacting you. Often, scammers use the company name, use a different consultant’s name.

Scam messages typically offer unrealistic financial incentives for short-term or task-based jobs plus “instant payment” and doing something that can be “learned very quickly”. 

Baker Charles recruit ONLY for Finance and Accountancy positions, and our interim roles are typically three months as a minimum – never just a few hours or days in length – so we would never contact you about this type of role.

For example:

Some scams will even try to charge you for job seeking services, such as registering, looking at opportunities or introducing you to a potential employer. Baker Charles will never charge job seekers who are looking for work and in the UK, it is against the law to do so.

Other reasons to be suspicious include containing a link asking for personal details such as bank account, passport, national insurance or the message seems poorly written with spelling errors.

What to do if you have received a scam message

Firstly, do not engage with the communications, instead, report it and then block the sender. You can report text messages on 7726 or emails by forwarding the email to report@phishing.gov.uk. You can also highlight it to Action Fraud. If it’s specifically a job scam, Jobsaware has an option for scam or fake job adverts which you can find here.

If you have shared financial details, please contact your bank to discuss fraud prevention steps. If you clicked on a link and shared any password information, please update your passwords ASAP and contact your IT support if available.

You can read more about these scams in this article from “Which?”

If you are still not sure whether a message is genuinely from Baker Charles, please message us at info@bakercharles.com and we will contact you if it is a legitimate approach.