You have just received an unexpected and lucrative job offer online. But is this the real deal or a fake vacancy created by scammers to rip you off?
The "fake Aegon" debate has been a feature on the internet in recent years. Fortunately, this rather complex theory relates to a king in the fictional Game of Thrones series. It has nothing to do with our company.
Aegon is very real. Thousands of our colleagues work diligently every day on our purpose to help our millions of customers achieve a lifetime of financial security. And we are constantly on the lookout for people with the right skills and drive to join the team.
Unfortunately, the Aegon name and logo are occasionally misused by criminals for fake job offers. Aegon is not alone in this. Most big companies – particularly household names - have experienced how their identities and reputations are manipulated by fraudsters for bogus schemes. The aim is to steal your personal information or money.
Our businesses cooperate with the relevant authorities to tackle this sort of abuse. However, it is so prevalent online that the best remedy is for everyone to be on their guard for fake job offers.
You are probably familiar with the phrase: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Fraudsters present you with a sugar-coated offer to increase the chance you will take the bait quickly. The prospect of work-at-home employment for a large international company like Aegon is as sweet as they come, particularly amid the economic hardship caused by the pandemic.
It is important, therefore, to take your time to calmly review any offer before reacting. Here are a few tips:
Contact the authorities
You should not interact with a person you suspect may be trying to scam you and don't make any payments in the hope the offer is genuine and you will get your dream job.
Instead contact your local law enforcement agency, and you can report the matter to Aegon. Here's what we say about cyber safety and how to contact us:
- Aegon N.V. (email)
- Aegon the Netherlands (in Dutch)
- Aegon UK
- Transamerica (our main brand in the United States)