Protect Yourself Online

Admin Avenues is committed to protecting our users privacy online. As part of this ongoing commitment, our team regularly check job ads for any suspicious adverts and immediately remove them from our site. Whilst we continually improve our efforts to make your job hunting experience safe and secure, we encourage members to contact us on [email protected] if you see anything suspicious.

Notice Something Suspicious?

Have you seen any suspicious activity on your account, or accidentally performed any of the following:

• Received and/or replied to a suspicious email
• Clicked on a suspicious link
• Received and opened an attachment that you weren’t expecting
• Visited a suspicious website.

If you have answered ‘Yes’ to any of these examples, here are some steps you can follow to help protect yourself and your IT equipment:

• Run a virus scan on your device. Search the advice on the Australian Cyber Security Centre for what software to run on your device
• Change the password on your Admin Avenues account
• If you’ve used your password on other websites, we advise that you change this password too, (use a different password when doing so)
• Be sure to change the password for the email address associated with your Admin Avenues account

We recommend taking added precautions like changing the password for every account where you have used the same email address that you have used to sign in to your Admin Avenues account. Click here for advice on how to create a strong password/passphrase.

f you believe your Admin Avenues account has been compromised, contact our team on 1300 236 462 so we can investigate this further for you.

If Admin Avenues contacts you regarding our concerns about the legitimacy of an advertiser, we require you to cease communication with the advertiser immediately. If you have provided any personal information, we recommend that you refer to the information below:

• Bank details: if you have provided any of your personal bank details, please immediately contact your financial institution.
• Fraud and identify theft: If you believe that your identity has been compromised, please contact your local police station. Admin Avenues will work closely with the police should they request any details.

Fraudulent Job Adverts

The Admin Avenues team are regularly screening our platform for illegal job adverts that may ask for any financial or personal information. We must however advise that these job ads may appears on Admin Avenues. If you believe you have come across a fraudulent job adverts, please contact the team at [email protected] to report any suspicious listings or emails.

How Do I Recognise a Fraudulent Job Ad?

As a general rule of thumb, if any opportunities seem too good to be true – they usually are! Always be aware of advertisers or employers requesting the following:

• Bank or credit card details.
• An upfront fee (e.g. for things such as ‘processing’ your application). A genuine advertiser or employer WILL NOT ask you for money or your bank or credit card details.
• Acceptance of a money transfer where you can retain a portion as ‘payment’.
• A copy of your driver’s licence or passport information as part of the application process.
• Tax file number. This information should only be provided once you have accepted a genuine job offer.
• Non-work-related personal information, such as your appearance, or marital status.
• Your Admin Avenues username and password.
• Any other personally identifying information.

Always check the legitimacy of any job ad, email or employer that seems suspicious before you respond. For example, large well-known companies usually do not include Hotmail or other free email addresses in their ads. If you have any concerns, call the company directly to verify.

What Do I Do If I Suspect a Fraudulent Job Advert?

If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of a job ad:

• Do NOT respond to or click on any links or pop ups associated with the advert.
• Report it to Admin Avenues immediately, providing a link to the ad. Report here.
• Ensure that your device has the most up-to-date anti-virus software.
• If you have supplied your personal credit card or bank account details, please immediately contact your financial institution and ask for their advice.
• Always be alert for any suspicious emails asking for personal details.

If you ever receive a suspicious email, the best course of action is to delete it immediately. Do not follow any links, or reply to the sender. By following a link, you may accidentally download a ‘Trojan’ or ‘key logging’ program, which could compromise your security. By replying, you run the risk of receiving more emails from this source.

How Do I Report a Suspicious Job Ad or Fraudulent Activity?

It is unfortunate but from time to time, fraudulent advertisers have found ways to upload job ads and use other features on websites without detection. If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of a job ad, immediately report it to Admin Avenues providing the link to the ad or a copy of the email.

If you suspect fraudulent activity, we advise the following:

• Immediately report it to Admin Avenues.

This way we can remove any fraudulent ads and alert other candidates or advertisers.

• Report it to the ACCC who will investigate any misleading business and job opportunities or emails.
• Security vulnerabilities: Admin Avenues appreciates any and all reporting of security vulnerabilities identified in our products or services. The most helpful information will be the link to the ad or a copy of the suspicious email.

What Should You Do If You Have Already Sent Personal Details?

At Admin Avenues, we endeavour to ensure that all of our job ads are for legitimate job opportunities. We will remove any job ads that are identified as having contravened our Terms and Conditions.  If you suspect any jobs adverts on Admin Avenues to be suspicious, please contact us on 1300 236 462.

If Admin Avenues have contacted you regarding any concerns about the legitimacy of an advertiser, we advise that you cease any communication with the advertiser immediately. If any personal details have been provided, refer to the below:

• Bank details: if you have provided any of your personal bank details, please immediately contact your financial institution.
• Fraud and identify theft: If you believe that your identity has been compromised, please contact your local police station. Admin Avenues will work closely with the police should they request any details.

Job Hunting and Interview Safety

It is important that all users of Admin Avenues protect themselves throughout the job seeking and interview process. In addition to fraudulent job ads, there are dishonest people who may pose as recruiters or employers to try and take advantage of unsuspecting job seekers. We recommend all users educate themselves on advice to protect yourself and your personal information at all times:

Personal Information:
We advise that users never include personal information such as your personal details including your bank account, credit card information or driver’s licence in your resume or online profiles. Be cautious of individuals, recruiters or businesses who ask you to pay for any details about a job ad or an upfront fee. This is not normal practice and this should be considered a red flag.

Research:
If you’re having any doubts about the legitimacy of a recruiter, business or individual, we advise that you take the time to verify that the company / person exists. This can be done by searching online for further information including a legitimate phone number, location and ABN. Most individuals who are recruiting for jobs will have an online presence. Ensure the person interviewing you are who they claim to be.

Location:
In this day and age, many first interviews are carried out online via video platforms such as Zoom or Teams. Most second interviews are carried out in person at the employer’s place of business or via a legitimate recruitment agency. Be wary of employers who ask to meet you in a private place. Never agree to meet an employer at a private residence even if they operate their business from home.

Only agree to meet an employer in a public place that you are familiar with. We advise that you make your own transport arrangements, and let someone in your personal circle know where you will be.

If meeting in a public place, always request an interview confirmation by email and ask that the location, time, date, and expectations of the interview are included in the meeting invite. If you have any hesitations or concerns about the legitimacy of an interview, please contact Admin Avenues.

Phishing
Phishing is a type of fraud whereby someone sends you an email, posing as Admin Avenues or another trusted company, in an attempt to acquire your username, password or credit card details. These deceptive messages often mimic legitimate and trusted organisations like Admin Avenues, and can be sent via email, SMS, instant messaging or social media platforms. The aim of these emails is to trick users into clicking on links to:

• a fake website where you are encouraged to enter confidential details.
• accidentally download a “Trojan” or “key logging” program, which could compromise your security.

How do I recognise a Phishing attempt?
Common signs of a phishing email include:

• Not addressing you by your name.
• Using poor spelling, grammar and punctuation, and inconsistent graphics/images.
• Asking for sensitive information or requesting you confirm the security of your account.
• Creating a sense of urgency – scammers may try to test you by stating that something needs your immediate attention.
• Using a sender address that may look unfamiliar or peculiar.
• Using a sender address that may look like a legit email but has a . or _ in the email that won’t be obvious unless you’re looking for it.
• Having unfamiliar or unexpected attachments – don’t open them as they may contain malicious software.
• Including instructions to click on a link to sign into Admin Avenues or open an attachment.

What do I do if I suspect a Phishing attempt?
If you have any concerns over the legitimacy of an email:

• Do NOT respond to the email.
• Immediately report it to Admin Avenues and provide us with a copy of the email.
• Ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software to protect your device/s.
• If you have provided personal banking or credit card information, we advise that you contact your financial institution immediately and ask for their advice.
• Always be alert for suspicious emails asking for personal details. If you receive a suspect email, our advice is to delete it immediately. Do not follow any links, or reply to the sender. By following a link, you may accidentally download a ‘Trojan’ or ‘key logging’ program, which could compromise your security. By replying, you run the risk of receiving more emails from this source. If you suspect that you have received a phishing email you can report it to Scamwatch.

Trojans
Malware is malicious software also known as Trojans which are inserted into a computer system for the purpose of causing harm, such as stealing personal and financial information.

How to identify a Trojan?
If you think an email is a hoax, or if it is from an untrusted/unknown source, never click on it’s links or attachments. If you did click on a link and you are worried, use your security anti-virus/anti-malware software to run a scan of your computer or device.

Symptoms to look for:

• Unusual pop ups asking for personal or financial information, such as credit cards or date of birth.
• Unusual changes to your Internet Banking pages, e.g. displaying upgrade or ‘under maintenance’ messages.
• Irregular webpage layout such as missing fields or additional buttons.
• Significant slowness in logging on.
• A “please wait” message replacing the login button, after it has been pressed.

What to do if I suspect I have a Trojan?
We advise that you always trust your instincts. If something feels suspicious or doesn’t look quite right, go through the ‘ASSURE’ yourself steps and try to stay one step ahead of the fraudsters:

• Abort what you are doing – close the browser or exit the app
• Seek security software updates
• Scan your devices to remove potential threats
• Use another device, check for anomalies and payment history
• Report any suspected fraud immediately
• Enquire further if in any doubt

Scams And Spam

Electronic junk mail is commonly known as spam. These are electronic messages you haven’t asked for that are sent to your email account, mobile phone number, or instant messaging account. The content of spam messages varies. Some messages promote legitimate products or services, while others will attempt to trick you into following a link to a scam website where you will be asked to enter your bank account or credit card details.

How do I recognise a Spam email?
Scammers can easily fake an official-looking email, using the same logo and email design as the real company. They collect or buy your address from websites, customer lists or viruses that harvest address books. Be sure to always look for any abnormalities like a . or _ in the email address.

What do I do if I have received a Spam email?
Always be wary of unexpected emails, especially if it is from a company you’ve dealt with before, such as Admin Avenues, or an online shopping site you use. Always be alert for fake emails.

If you receive an email you’re not expecting, don’t click on any links or open any attachments. Contact us if you have any concerns.

Things to consider:

• Don’t open messages if you don’t know the sender or if you’re not expecting them.
• Always be suspicious of messages that aren’t addressed directly to you, or don’t use your correct name.
• Don’t reply to, attempt to unsubscribe from or forward, chain letters you receive by email.
• Think carefully before clicking on any links or opening any attachments.
• Ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on any devices used to access your emails.
• Protect your email accounts with two-step verification.
• Sign up to Scamwatch to keep on top of current scams.

General scam and spam tips
The best way to protect yourself from malicious emails is to stop them from reaching you.

Spammers and scammers can be clever though, and some messages might still make it through to your inbox. To protect yourself from these malicious messages:

• Never share your email address online unless you need to. Consider, setting up a separate email address just to use for online forms or shopping such as a free Hotmail or Yahoo email address.
• If at any time you feel suspicious of an email, access the website by typing the address into a browser, not by clicking the provided link.
• Where possible, have separate email accounts for personal and business use. It’s best practice not to mix the two.
• Always use spam filters to catch messages before they get to your inbox. Most email systems have a reasonably effective spam filter to prevent spam appearing in your inbox. If you’re not sure, ask your internet service provider for advice on how to upgrade these security services.
• Be diligent in deleting spam messages without opening them.

Hints and Tips

Our dedicated online security team regularly screen for illegal job ads that ask for personal or financial information. However, from time to time these job ads may appear on Admin Avenues.

Tips to protect your personal information online

• Before entering your personal information on a web site, always check that the URL (web address) has changed from ‘http’ to ‘https’ and that a closed padlock icon is present.
• The safest way to access any web site is to type the web address directly into the browser and bookmark it. Hover over web links with your cursor to check for spelling errors or unexpected web addresses before you click. Phishing emails often contain links to dangerous sites.
• Choose your passwords for online services that are difficult for anyone else to guess. A strong password is long and complex (a variety of letters, numbers and other characters), unique (not re-used for other websites or apps), current (changed at least every 90 days) and not obvious (avoid dictionary words, dates, names etc.).
• Only provide information that’s necessary for what you’re doing.
• When using a public computer, ensure that you always log out before you leave. Never allow the public computer to save your passwords or usernames.
• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software to help stop intruders getting into your computer system. It’s advised that you run your anti-virus software regularly to scan your system and remove any malicious software.

Tips to protect yourself from phishing emails

• Always check the sender’s email address and question if it appears to come from a legitimate source?
• If you’re unsure about an email, contact the company using a phone number from their website (not from the email) before you reply.
• Be sure to check that the links contained in the email are legitimate by ‘hovering’ your mouse over the link to view the URL without clicking. If it looks suspicious, delete the email.
• Never open an attachment that you’re unsure about. It might contain malicious software designed to infect your computer. Always best to be safe and cautious than sorry.
• Install a spam filter to your devices to block deceptive messages from reaching you.
• Admin Avenues, your financial institution and other large organisations will NEVER send you a link to ask you to enter any of your personal or financial details. Delete any emails that require this.

Whilst Admin Avenues aims to ensure that all job adverts on our website are for legitimate Australian job opportunities, we must however advise that fake job ads may appear from time to time. We aim to remove any job ads that are identified to have breached our Terms and Conditions immediately. If you suspect any fraudulent activity on our website, please:

• Immediately report it to Admin Avenues.

This way we can remove any fraudulent ads and alert other candidates or advertisers.

• Report it to the ACCC who will investigate any misleading business and job opportunities or emails. The most helpful information will be the link to the job advert or a copy of the suspicious email.