Secure job searching

Guardian News and Media takes digital security very seriously and we are committed to ensuring your job-searching experience on Guardian Jobs is as secure as possible.

In terms of protecting yourself online, while we monitor our site and advertising as closely as possible, we recommend the following actions.

• Never disclose any private information in response to a job advertisement or include on your CV any of the following:
  • National Insurance number
  • Driving licence number
  • Passport number
  • Bank details (account number, sort code, log in)
  • Credit card details
  • Date of birth
     
• Never reveal your password – Guardian Jobs will never ask you for your password
   
• Always use a personal password, but which does not contain your name, email address or the word 'password' and ensure your password contains both letters and numbers
   
• Change all your passwords on a regular basis and never leave your password written down in an openly accessible place
   
• Never send any money to the advertiser (via any means: cheque, money transfer, etc) as part of the application or agree to process funds through your personal bank account on behalf of their company.  There is no need for a recruiter to request your bank details to purportedly ‘set up salary payments’ until you have been through the interview process.

Although fraudulent recruitment advertisements and sites are often professional in appearance, the jobs themselves are often unrealistic in terms of salary and benefits, especially regarding international travel or work at home schemes.

Email scams often originate from outside the UK, don’t offer telephone or face-to-face contact, request the completion of a questionnaire to gather your personal details, ask for upfront fees (e.g. for visas) and may not be written in perfect English.

The Guardian is a founding member of the recruitment counter fraud forum SAFER (Safe Advice For Employment and Recruitment) that works to actively identify fraud and internet scams to protect recruiters and job seekers. Click to find out more about SAFER.

We actively monitor our sites and email systems for security threats to protect you from fraudulent activity such as identity theft and money laundering.

If you are suspicious of any email you receive, please contact us including the subject line of the email you received, and the email address it was sent from and we will investigate it.

If you suspect that you've been a victim of identity theft, you should contact Action Fraud, the national fraud and internet crime reporting centre on 0300 123 20 40 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk and they will be able to advise you further.  If you have given the fraudulent company any money, please contact your bank immediately.