Recently, we’ve seen an increase in scammers pretending to be Triage employees. To help keep you safe, we’re highlighting some red flags you should be aware of. Protect yourself from common scams by watching out for these red flags.
Red Flag #1: A Non-Triage Email Address
This is one quick and easy way to determine whether you’re speaking with a real Triage recruiter. All emails sent from Triage will be from the same domain as our website—triagestaff.com. Any other variation or even a Gmail email address are not legit Triage employees.
Aside from your recruiter and compliance specialist, you may see emails from our Info, Benefits, Payroll or Onboarding inboxes. These will have the same domain as our site so you know they’re really Triage.
Red Flag #2: Getting Hired Without Talking to a Recruiter
Our travelers and recruiters love to talk via text, that’s true. However, if you’ve only ever communicated by text and haven’t at least received a voice mail or email from your recruiter, ask for a phone call. Then, ask your recruiter to recap the conversation via email to check their email address (see #1 again). Communicating by text isn’t a red flag all on its own, but if your recruiter refuses any other methods of communication, check it out.
Red Flag #3: Job Postings with Errors
Recruiters are human and can make mistakes, but if you see a post about a job that’s riddled with errors or spells job as j0b, you should pay special attention to ensure everything is on the up and up. When scammers use numbers to replace letters, like using a zero in place of an O, they’re doing it to bypass the filters that remove scam posts.
Red Flag #4: Asking You for Money
One of the most recent scams we’ve seen lately is a fake recruiter asking the candidate to pay for a “subscription” to find the highest-paying jobs. Let’s be clear. A Triage recruiter will never ask you to pay them money so they can send you jobs. Our job alerts are available, free of charge, to everyone who signs up for them. And, it’s a recruiter’s job to help you. No payment needed.
Red Flag #5: Asking for Your Banking Information in an Email or Text
It’s true that in order to get paid, Triage needs your bank account information. However, a recruiter will never, ever ask for a voided check, or your bank account and routing number to be sent directly to them. Instead, we use a secure HR software site called UKG (also known as Ultipro) so you can provide your bank account information in a secure and encrypted website. Your recruiter never sees your bank account info.
You will get an email from [email protected] when it’s time to set up your payroll information (about two weeks before your assignment starts). This email will send you to the UKG website where you can enter the information yourself. When you’re on assignment, you’ll also be able to use this site to check your paystubs or even change your bank account information if needed.
Red Flag #6: Texts Asking for Gift Cards
Unfortunately, some of our travelers have seen these scams. Travelers get a text from someone pretending to be from Triage, saying the Triage employee is busy in a meeting, but needs the traveler to run an errand and go buy a gift card to send to the Triage employee. In many instances, this scam text looks like it’s coming from our CEO or other executive—our internal employees have gotten them too! These scammers know that a text from the CEO makes you want to jump in to help so they make it seem urgent and time-sensitive.
Without a doubt, a Triage employee will never, ever ask you to go buy anything for them. If you get a text like that, let your recruiter know or send a screenshot to [email protected]. We can’t do much to stop these, but we can alert other travelers that this scam is ongoing.
Other Ways to Keep Yourself Safe
Verify Triage Employees
To help protect you from scams even more, Triage has its employees listed on our website, with pictures so you know who you’re talking to. Newer employees may be missing a photo until our photographer stops by the office, but you’ll still see their name, email address and phone number on our Teams page.
You can also always call our 800 number and ask to talk to your recruiter. While some folks may be out of the office or working remotely, we can always pass along a message if they’re not physically in the office. Call 800.259.9897 and ask to talk to your recruiter.
Beware of Deep Fakes
Deep fakes are AI-generated recordings or images that create realistic-looking or -sounding content in order to deceive viewers. There have been schemes where scammers will spoof phone numbers and deploy deep fake audio to mimic the voices of family members in an effort to manipulate the targeted individual into sending money. Similar scams have been used in the employment context as well. To ward against these types of scams, be sure to double-check unusual requests through a multi-factor authentication process.
Understand State Legal Protections
Many states have identity theft protection statutes that keep companies from collecting and disclosing certain sensitive information in the absence of an explicit legal obligation. For example, North Carolina’s Identity Theft Protection Act prohibits businesses from collecting social security numbers over the internet and from disclosing such information via written correspondence, unless appropriate cybersecurity measures are in place or as otherwise required by law.
What is Real
When you’re on assignment with Triage, there are times that you’ll receive text messages from our swag partner, Bergman. This will happen when you’re on assignment for the first time with Triage, right before your birthday and right before your professional holiday, such as Nurses Week. These texts will ask you to click a link from Bergman and provide your current address. Once you do that, your birthday, new traveler or professional holiday gift will be on the way.
For more information on legitimate messages you might receive from Triage, check out our previous blog post on Triage communications.
Got questions or want to report a scam you’ve seen? Let us know at [email protected].