Job Search Safety Advice

Valid or legitimate Job Bank ads will not ask for any banking or personal information or for any money deposits.

We recommend that you do not provide personal or sensitive information in your résumé, such as:

• Your Social Insurance Number.
• Your age, marital status, date of birth,
• Your driver's license number,
• Your health card number,
• Your banking or financial information, which includes credit card or bank account numbers and any Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).

Certain information may be discussed with a prospective employer, only after the hiring process has begun. If a job posting seems questionable, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Message About Job Bank's Temporary Shut-Down and HRSDC's Response

At Job Bank, we are committed to providing a free service to Canadian employers and job seekers that is secure, accurate, timely and available 24/7.

In early February 2012, Job Bank detected a limited but serious security issue and officials proactively shut the site down to make important security upgrades.

Someone had posed as a legitimate employer and posted fake job ads in order to obtain applicants' banking information. This is known as a phishing scheme, so named when someone poses as a credible organization to obtain personal or sensitive information. Five employer accounts were affected out of the over 135,000 in the system. In each instance, Job Bank promptly removed the job ads and notified affected employers, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the Canadian Revenue Agency.

In response to this incident, an enhanced login system and new monitoring procedures have been implemented. These new security measures were developed in consultation with HRSDC's Departmental Security Officer and the Department of Justice.

If a job posting seems questionable, please advise Job Bank via the Contact Us page.

If you think you are a victim of phishing, please contact your local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. This national call centre, which provides advice and assistance regarding identity theft, is jointly managed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Competition Bureau.