If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Representational image. Pic/iStock

Amidst all the newfangled ways to con people, some are the ‘golden oldies', if one could call them that, of the con game. One of these is the job con, where people are fooled or scammed into paying for a promised lucrative jobs, one too good to be true.

A Press Trust of India report stated that a case has been registered against a Navi Mumbai-based placement agency for allegedly cheating six persons of R16.8 lakh by promising them jobs in shipping companies, police said. They said the agency allegedly provided fabricated employment agreements and bonds to build credibility. The police last week registered an FIR in the case. The officer said the accused connived and offered to get jobs in shipping companies for six victims, and took Rs 16.8 lakh from them, and gave them fabricated agreements and bonds. This once again highlights the importance of red-flagging claims and offers, especially when it comes to ‘paying' for job placements.

Why would one have to pay for getting a job? If the payment is done underhand, then, it is time to scrutinise very carefully who is making this kind of offer. Talk to people who may be working in this place promised. Be sceptical if they claim nobody is at hand. Look at these documents provided and, most importantly, read the small print.

Ascertain who these people are - are they agents or employees or what exactly is their relationship to the company they represent and are promising you a job in? Are they themselves working for that company? If you have more questions and answers not forthcoming, it is better to hold on to rather than part with your money. Stay sharp and alert, to blunt these designs.