Fake employer using real company name scams students around the UK – Campbell Gray Hotels

The Careers Centre advertises job opportunities for students via our online portal, MyJobsOnline. It has recently come to our attention that an individual posing as Campell Gray Hotels has posted a fraudulent job advert on MyJobsOnline. This advert has now been withdrawn.

If you have seen and responded to this advert, please be aware that the job is not genuine and the email address is fake.  If you receive any contact from an individual claiming to represent Campbell Gray Hotels, please do not respond. The individual may request a payment, or admin fee, for your job application. You should not make a payment to them under any circumstances.

Campell Gray Hotels are aware of this scam and have issued a statement on their website. You can read it here.

In the meantime, here are some pointers to avoid being scammed online:

Does the email address look genuine?

In the Campell Gray Hotels scam, the fraudster tweaked one letter in their email address to make it look genuine (there was only one “l” instead of two). Double check the email address before corresponding with any employer.

Be wary of any email address that does not look professional (for example: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc). Most legitimate employers will have a business email address, normally with the same domain name as their website. At the Careers Centre, if an employer fails to provide a business email address we will not promote their opportunities.

Is there a fee?

Most credible employers will not charge a fee for applications. Avoid any employers who ask you to pay an admin fee – this is not common practice in the UK. The Careers Centre does not promote opportunities that require students to pay a fee of any kind.

Check the employer’s website

If you hear about a job opportunity from a third party (a jobs portal, for example), check the employer’s website to find out more. If you are unable to find the opportunity on their website, there’s a chance that the third party advert you’ve seen is not genuine. If you are uncertain, contact the employer directly. Most employers will provide a contact address for their HR department on their website.

Check the location

This may seem obvious, but it’s worth checking that the employer has an office in the location given. In the Campbell Gray Hotels scam, the advert stated that the job was based in Reading.  If you check on the Campbell Gray website, you’ll discover that they do not have any hotels in Reading.

For more information on avoiding recruitment scams, take a look at this article on the Careers blog.