Fake job sites demand credit card details

Some recent graduates are being targeted by credit card fraudsters who use fake job sites as a front for their activities, new analysis suggests.

Tough labour market conditions have led jobseekers to be at greater risk of encountering such a scam, the Guardian reported.

Commonly, victims are offered an attractive-sounding opportunity but are then told that their CV needs minor amendments, which can be made by the "recruiter" in exchange for a fee.

Credit card details are then demanded, whether to pay for the service itself or to "confirm" the jobseeker's identity.

Speaking to the newspaper, 2008 graduate Oliver Mernick-Levene told of his experience with a job site that offered a well-paid entry level post.

He was subsequently contacted by a site representative who offered to perfect his CV for a £99 charge.

Mr Mernick-Levene said: "He wouldn't tell me any more about the job or what was wrong with my CV.

"He was quite insistent about the money. He also asked lots of questions about my private data on the pretext of confirming my details."

The credit crunch and economic downturn have led to unemployment hitting a 14-year high.

Latest official labour market figures show that the UK's jobless total has reached 2.47 million.