Phishing & Scam Activity

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to receive contact via phone, email or social media from an individual fraudulently claiming to represent a legitimate business in an effort to obtain sensitive personal or financial information. For this reason, Brunel urges jobseekers to be wary of potential phishing and to exercise caution when sharing their personal details with any unfamiliar contact.

While Brunel will do all that we can to prevent scammers from falsely claiming to represent our organisation, we do not have the independent authority to directly remove or shut down the tools (such as social media posts, email accounts or websites) they use to do this. If you encounter behavior which you suspect to be phishing we strongly encourage you to report this to the administrators of the platform being used.

While recruitment agencies like Brunel will request details regarding your working history as part of the job application process, we do not require sensitive details such as your bank account details until after you have received a job offer. While recruiters do sometimes approach suitable individuals out of the blue, they will be interested in discussing your skills, experience and career plan, not your tax or bank information.

Alarm signs may include:

• Payment required: Brunel staff will never request a payment from a jobseeker as part of their application process.
• Urgency: If the person you are in contact with is rushing you to provide information, tries to talk you out of delaying your response or is otherwise pressuring you to act urgently, this is a clear red flag.
• Errors or unprofessional finish: While not all legitimate communications are perfect, you should be wary of any strange or obvious spelling and grammar errors or imagery which looks rough or low resolution.

Check the credibility of the contact information used: 

• Email: Brunel will only ever use a @brunel.net address for email communications. If you are contacted or asked to reply to an email ending in @gmail.com, @outlook.com, @yahoo.com etc. it has not been sent by a Brunel representative.
• Website URL: Most Brunel websites are hosted on the @brunel.net domain. If you are directed to a website which is different to this or looks off or suspicious in any way, leave the site and then search for Brunel using Google.
• Phone: Ask if you are able to respond to contact them via a landline phone number and ask them which Brunel office they are working from. You should be able to Google ‘Brunel’ + the location provided and find a similar number listed for the office.