3 WAYS TO WATCH OUT FOR SCAMMERS AS A CREATIVE

According to ScamWatch.gov.au, there have been 558 reports of Jobs & employment scams for 2023.

Unfortunately, internet scams are common these days, and not even National Geographic is not safe.

Recently, NBTA received our own National Geographic “offer letter”, from people who claimed they were associated with National Geographic Stating their request for a “Photographer/Videographer” who is travel ready and able to attend a Case Study on “Melting Glaciers as Key Indicators to Coastal Flood Risk” in Greenland. After reviewing the email, it was discovered that this was a false offer and not a legitimate letter from The National Geographic.

This is not the first time something of this nature has happened to the nature media conglomerate. Nat Geo Explorer Enric Sala was in the center of a similar controversy as well in 2021 as someone thought they were receiving an offer letter from the explorer only to be met with a request for $850. These types of incidents have happened so frequently, Dereck Joubert went to twitter to inform people that National Geographic would not ask for personal/financial information. National Geographic has addressed this issue in their article about Online Fraudulent Activity, stating they “do not permit photographers, journalists, or anyone else” using their Nat Geo ties for their personal business.

In the digital job market, you have to be on your toes to decipher what’s real - and what isn’t.

Here are some tips on how to avoid scam emails and scam offers!

1. Always Check the Email Address first.

   • Employees will always email you regarding job positions via company email.

   • For instance, Nat Geo claims on their website, “Fraudulent sellers may use an email address that is made to look like a National Geographic email address, but is not a legitimate @natgeo.com or @ngs.org email address.”

1. Do not send your Personal or Financial Information to this person.

   • Anyone that is offering you a job offer, they will not ask you to send them money before you start a position.

   • Make sure to check out Craigslist’s list on avoiding scams, where they dive into multiple ways to avoid scams.

1. Check your resources.

   • Make sure to reach out to the company to inform them of these incidents so they can address their audience properly about this.

   • For more information, please see the FDIC and FTC on how to avoid scams.

With these tips and tricks on how to avoid scams, you’ll be a professional in spotting fake emails!