How to Apply for a Position Safely

posted on Thursday, May 20, 2021

Recently, we began receiving phone calls and messages from community members curious about a new position found on a popular job board. We were shocked to find out the position they were calling about was a fake post created to look like us! The posting said it was EPI and even had a current open position title, but it was not posted by our company page. We decided to do a little research of our own.

That’s when we learned of an alarming new trend where hackers are posing as employers to gather your sensitive information during the job application process. These are creative attacks, also known as spear phishing, where scammers pose as people or institutions you know and trust to gather information about you. 

What's sensitive information? Here's just a few examples …

• Social Security Number
• Banking Information
• Driver's License Number
• Passwords
• Other personal information

With this in mind, we want to offer up a few safety tips while you're conducting your job search and applying online.

Be aware and use caution in your job search.

• Never transmit sensitive information in an unsecure method - such as by email, over social media, or through an unsecure website. Even if the requests looks legitimate. If you see a request for sensitive information in a job application, we recommend applying directly with that employer - either through their secure website or in-person. Use a search engine to search for the company's contact information instead of following a link provided in the questionable post.
• If a job posting looks or feels not quite right, trust your instincts. Fake posts may have style inconsistencies and more spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. Contact the employer to verify or visit the employer's website to apply directly. You can visit and apply for EPI's Career Opportunities directly on our secure website.
• Upon job offer or hire, it is common for an employer to ask for personal information. Again, before providing, ensure your information is going directly to the employer through their secure information system.

If you have any questions about EPI's application process please don't hesitate to reach out to a member of our human resources team by clicking here.

How we spotted the fake post.

• Our name is "Exceptional Persons, Inc" not "EPI Auto Repair"
• In the REAL posting, our name links back to our profile page with our company details
• The fake posting had style inconsistencies and grammatical errors