During the spring recruitment season, many courts in various regions have recently disclosed several typical cases of job fraud, revealing that criminals set up "job traps" using gimmicks such as "high salaries" and "internal promotion", sounding the alarm for job seekers. In July 2023, a newly graduated teacher training student named Qiu was eager to find a job and trusted Tan's promise to "pay 170000 yuan to obtain a teaching position at a school in Pudong New Area, Shanghai". However, after paying the money, he did not receive any notice of employment and reported it to the police. According to police investigation, Tan has no educational background and his behavior is suspected of fraud. In March 2024, the Baoshan District People's Court in Shanghai sentenced Tan to two years' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and fined him in accordance with the law. Lawyer Zhu Yaohua from Guangdong Guangxin Junda (Shanghai) Law Firm pointed out that in such cases, criminals often use "internal relationships" as a cover to commit fraud by forging contracts, fabricating qualifications, and other means. He reminded job seekers: "If you encounter the claim of 'paid employment', you must verify the company's qualifications through the 'National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System', while keeping transfer records and chat evidence, and promptly protect your own rights through legal means." In the field of cross provincial labor intermediaries, scams are not uncommon. From September 2019 to March 2021, Li colluded with Sun, the head of a human resources company in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, falsely claiming to be able to arrange positions in hospitals and government agencies through "internal channels", and fraudulently obtained over 3.5 million yuan from more than 180 job seekers by forging interviews, work permits, and even labor contracts. The Gulou District People's Court of Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province sentenced Li to 13 years in prison for fraud. Wang Qun, assistant judge of the Criminal Trial Division of Minhang District People's Court in Shanghai, stated that some criminals take advantage of job seekers' eagerness to succeed and desire shortcuts to fabricate identities and network relationships, falsely claiming that they can "use backdoors" and have "internal relationships", and defraud money under the names of "service fees" and "easy handling fees". Wang Qun reminds job seekers to fully understand the admission standards and formal entry channels of relevant industries. State organs and public institutions have strict recruitment standards and standardized processes, and usually do not entrust third-party organizations or individuals to recruit. The vast majority of those who claim to provide 'internal indicators' are suspected of fraud. In recent years, there has been a high incidence of fraud cases in the field of vocational training. In 2023, Wu, the head of a consulting company in Shanghai, used the lure of "high part-time fees for certificate affiliation" to fabricate income screenshots and hire "childcare" to defraud students of 4.6 million yuan in course fees. Wang Qun analyzed that the essential difference between such scams and ordinary civil disputes lies in the difference in "behavioral purposes". In criminal fraud cases, the perpetrator has no intention of fulfilling the contract from the beginning, and their purpose is to illegally occupy the property of others, deceive the victim's money through fabricated facts or services; Civil fraud may involve exaggeration or concealment of some facts, but usually still has a certain transactional basis. After trial, the court found that Wu and others fabricated non-existent "certificate linked high-yield" projects by creating false income screenshots, arranging personnel to impersonate customers, and other means. After investigation, it was found that the scam had no real cooperating units and the individuals involved did not have the actual ability to fulfill their obligations. The Baoshan District People's Court in Shanghai recently sentenced Wu and others to imprisonment ranging from 9 months to 11 years and 6 months for fraud. The 'fee trap' in the entertainment industry also requires vigilance. In 2023, Xiao Mei, a graduate from the Department of Performance, was scammed under the guise of "confidentiality fees" and "security deposits" while applying for a group performance position at a certain film and television company, resulting in losses of tens of thousands of yuan. In fact, the company does not have any real filming projects. The Haidian District People's Court of Beijing sentenced four suspect, including Chen, to more than three years and six months of fixed-term imprisonment for fraud. Wang Qun reminds that the job application process usually does not require any payment. Anyone who charges fees under the guise of registration fees, clothing fees, training fees, medical examination fees, security deposits, confidentiality fees, etc. during the recruitment process is suspected of fraud. He suggests that job seekers verify recruitment information through official corporate websites and other legitimate channels, be vigilant, prevent fee traps, pay attention to preserving relevant evidence, and promptly report any abnormal situations to the police. Cross border employment scams often carry greater risks. In 2023, job seeker Xiao Wang believed in the recruitment information for "Southeast Asian high paying bar jobs" and flew to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan as agreed. Under the leadership of others, he illegally crossed the border and was taken to a certain park in the Golden Triangle area. Xiao Wang discovered that the so-called bar work was actually a telecom fraud activity, and if he refused, he would have to take a "ransom fee" of 50000 yuan. Due to the inability to pay the ransom, Xiao Wang was forced to stay in the local area. Under the arrangement of the "boss", he gained the trust of domestic netizens by fabricating the persona of "Gao Fu Shuai" and fabricating "wealth secrets", and committed fraud using phrases such as "platform loopholes" and "recharge and withdrawal". After investigation, it was found that his behavior caused multiple domestic victims to suffer property losses. The People's Court of Fengxian District, Shanghai sentenced Xiao Wang to one year and three months in prison and a fine for fraud. Zhu Yaohua suggests that individuals who plan to work abroad should choose formal overseas enterprises with the "Qualification Certificate for Foreign Labor Cooperation Operation", and can also call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hotline 12308 to further verify relevant information. Wang Qun reminds job seekers to be cautious when working abroad, and not to easily believe recruitment gimmicks such as "high salary, big money", and be careful not to fall into traps. According to data from the Supreme People's Procuratorate, in recent years, procuratorial organs have strictly punished various types of job seeking fraud crimes in accordance with the law. From January 2022 to August 2024, procuratorial organs across the country have prosecuted a total of 4708 people for various types of job seeking fraud crimes. During the process of handling cases, the procuratorial organs found that such criminals take advantage of the psychological desire of job seekers for "high salaries" and "stable" jobs, and carefully design various "job traps". Some of them issued false recruitment advertisements through labor intermediary agencies or Internet platforms, lured job seekers to register by exaggerating salary and benefits, and defrauded them of deposit and other fees; Some people forge job application venues, organize false exams, handle false employment procedures, and then deceive others into paying introduction fees, training fees, etc; Some even disguise themselves as legitimate enterprises by registering regular companies, settling in office buildings, posting information on recruitment platforms, and paying social security for employees, but in fact engage in illegal and criminal activities such as fraud and pyramid schemes in secret. These scams have caused some job seekers to suffer economic losses, and some have even been imprisoned as a result. Legal professionals suggest that job seekers should establish a "ability first" employment concept, submit resumes through official and legitimate platforms, remain highly vigilant against recruitment information that clearly violates common sense such as "low threshold high salary" and "paid internal promotion", and verify the true qualifications of enterprises through official channels such as business registration, effectively protecting their legitimate rights and interests. (New Society)