State Takes Action to Crack Down on "Recruitment-to-Training" Scams!

Recently, to help job seekers effectively identify scams such as "recruitment-to-training" (招转培) and "training loans" (培训贷), the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, and the National Financial Regulatory Administration jointly issued a risk warning. This advisory reminds job seekers to enhance their risk awareness and guard against being deceived.

So, what are the typical tactics and main characteristics of these "recruitment-to-training" and "training loan" scams? Don't worry, this article will guide you through them!

Typical Tactics Step 1: Publishing fake job postings to drive traffic. Scammers post popular positions such as AI, programming, and audio/video editing on job boards, social media platforms, or at physical job fairs. They use bait such as "no experience required," "any major accepted," "zero threshold," "hired upon interview," "high-paying jobs," and "stable part-time work" to attract job seekers to submit resumes and attend offline interviews.

Step 2: Deliberately belittling the job seeker's abilities. During the interview process, they emphasize that "the position has a skill threshold" and that the candidate has "insufficient ability" or a "lack of work experience." By dealing a blow to the candidate's confidence and creating anxiety, they conveniently recommend so-called "pre-employment training" or "internal training."

Step 3: Inducing job seekers to pay high fees or take out loans for training. The institutions responsible for the training use deceptive pitches like "quick mastery after training," "guaranteed employment," "guaranteed income," and "issuance of state-recognized certificates," along with fabricated chat records and fake success stories, to lure candidates into participating. For job seekers who are unable to pay or are still hesitating, they use bait like "no fees during technical training," "pay only after successful employment," or "installment payments" to induce them to sign high-cost training agreements and apply for loans on designated platforms.

Main Characteristics Targeting fresh college graduates as the primary demographic. This group generally lacks job-hunting experience and has insufficient knowledge of industry hiring standards and salary levels. Their risk awareness is relatively weak. Coupled with high employment pressure and anxiety, they often harbor a mentality of "wanting to improve skills" and being "eager for employment," making them easily confused by false promises and exploited by scammers.

Separating recruitment and training entities to execute fraud in stages. Those perpetrating "recruitment-to-training" and "training loan" frauds often appear on the surface as two or more unrelated companies. One company is responsible for recruitment and driving interview traffic—sometimes even posing as central or state-owned enterprises with fake postings. The other company is responsible for signing training agreements and inducing loan applications. This separation of operations attempts to sever the chain of liability, enhance deception, make it harder for victims to defend their rights, and evade legal sanctions.

Certain platforms bundling interests with training institutions to trap job seekers. These lending platforms often have vested interests tied to the training institutions. By simplifying the loan approval process and ignoring risk warnings, they induce job seekers to complete loans without full awareness, causing candidates to "fall into debt before earning a dime."

Risk Warnings Choose legitimate channels for job hunting. When seeking employment online or offline, candidates should opt for campus recruitment events held through legitimate channels or officially licensed employment agencies. For employment agencies, first check if they have obtained a human resources service license, prioritizing service agencies and recruitment platforms with high integrity and standardized operations.

Verify the authenticity of job postings. Job seekers can proactively verify the employer's relevant qualifications, operating status, and credit records through multiple methods. Be highly vigilant when encountering "zero threshold" job postings that promise unusually high salaries—such as "little work, lots of money" or "get paid to do nothing"—which "sound too good to be true." Check more, ask more, and stay on guard to avoid falling into traps. Organizers of campus recruitment events must strengthen the review of recruiting companies' qualifications and job postings to ensure job quality.

Strictly prevent job hunting from turning into paid training. Candidates should decisively refuse situations during the job search where they are required, for various reasons, to participate in high-cost training in order to be placed in a position. If there is a genuine need for training, verify whether the training institution has legally approved licensing qualifications and whether there are unreasonable fees or loan requirements. For those advertising the issuance of state-recognized certificates, verify if the institution has the authority to issue them and if the certificates can be verified on official government platforms.

Be wary of loan risks. When signing agreements involving loans, be sure to verify the lender's qualifications, interest rates, repayment methods, and liability for breach of contract. Be cautious when registering information and applying for loans on platforms. Adhere to rational borrowing, avoid excessive debt, and do not easily trust promises like "interest-free installments" or "low threshold, instant transfer" to avoid falling into illegal debt disputes.

Retain evidence to defend your rights legally. Job seekers should be careful to keep relevant chat records, agreement texts, and transfer receipts to serve as evidence in potential disputes. If you fall victim to a scam, please file a complaint and report it to the human resources and social security department, or report the case to the public security organs.