Scam messages in aTalent's name: Frequently asked questions

What kinds of scam contacts have been made in aTalent's?

The contacts that have come to our attention have been phone calls and short messages where the sender poses as an aTalent recruiter or account manager and offers employment. The scam attempts have been characterized by foreign numbers and the method of contact either in WhatsApp or Telegram. Additionally, we have become aware of job advertising taking place in Facebook groups with the goal of capturing the attention of as many people as possible from a broader target audience. We have also become aware of cases where contacts offer job opportunities under a fictitious name and claim that they obtained the person's contact information from a member of our staffMessages have been sent both in Finnish and English.

How to recognize a scam?

The National Cyber Security Centre has published the following instructions for recognizing recruitment scams on WhatsApp:

• You should be skeptical of any job offers that you receive unexpectedly from unknown numbers.
• The messages do not say what the actual work tasks, your title, or pay would be.
• The job does not require any work experience.
• The recruiter is in a hurry or the offer is time-critical.
• You are asked to provide personal information, documents or bank information or make monetary transactions before you can start working.
• The job does not require any kind of interview, suitability assessment, or background check.

What do the parties making scam contacts aim for?

We do not know who is behind the contacts, but the scam attempt may be related to the unpleasant and common phenomenon of phishing for personal information. Consequently, one should not share personal or sensitive information with an unknown individual.

I suspect I have received a scam contact in aTalent’s name. What should I do?

All our recruiters' names and contact details can be found here – if necessary, you can check whether the phone number matches our employees’ contact information. We do not have offices or teams abroad. Scams can be reported in WhatsApp using the Block & Report feature. On Facebook, scams can be reported using the "Find Support or Report Profile" feature.

In which channels do aTalent recruiters reach out to candidates?

aTalent recruiters contact job seekers mainly through employment channels similar to LinkedIn, or by phone and email, always from a Finnish phone number or an email address ending in @atalent.fi. Our recruiters use WhatsApp only at the candidate's request, meaning we never make first contact through it.Our recruiters share job postings in various professional networks and groups on LinkedIn as well as on Facebook. However, we do not typically ask you to contact us via messages, but rather to apply for open positions through our application system. You can recognize our genuine recruitment messages through the application link directing you to our application system. It is also easy to check the background of the advertiser and verify if they are a scammer on Facebook and LinkedIn.

What actions has aTalent taken to solve the problem?

We have shared a warning and examples of scam attempts made in our name across all our channels. We have also filed a report with the National Cyber Security Centre and encourage everyone who has received scam contacts to do the same. Additionally, we block and report all scam profiles that come to our attention.

What to do if you have responded to a scam contact?

Do not continue interacting with the contact person. If the contact has come through a messaging service like WhatsApp, you can report and block the contact.If you have given your information or money to the criminals responsible for the contacts, the National Cyber Security Centre advises contacting your bank, filing a police report, and reporting the abuse to WhatsApp.

We want to thank everyone who has brought scam contacts to our attention so far. In case you need further information than the answers provided here, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@atalent.fi.