UAE schools, universities warn against fake job offers ahead of new academic year

As the new academic year approaches, schools and higher education institutions in the UAE are warning job seekers about an increase in fraudulent job advertisements circulating online.

Scammers are exploiting the demand for teaching and administrative positions to steal personal information or solicit payments under false promises of employment.

Authorities and institutions across the UAE are therefore emphasising that job seekers should verify all recruitment communications through official channels and exercise caution when encountering unsolicited job offers online.

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Deceiving applicants

Institutions told Khaleej Times that numerous fake job postings falsely feature their names, deceiving applicants into thinking the offers are legitimate.

Noufal Ahmed, Founder and Managing Director of Woodlem Education, said, “We are aware of fraudulent job advertisements circulating online using Woodlem Education’s name without authorisation, aimed at misleading job seekers and, in some cases, extracting personal or financial information. We issue public alerts whenever such incidents come to our attention and, from time to time, as a preventive measure to warn against potential scams."

"We remind the community to rely solely on our official website and careers page for genuine opportunities. We do not process job offers through unofficial channels, and any communication outside these platforms should be treated with suspicion," he said.

Noufal Ahmed

Ahmed added that the school group is exploring the introduction of job codes to help safeguard applicants, emphasising that the institution is “committed to transparency, trust, and protecting candidates from exploitation under our name".

At Shining Star International School in Abu Dhabi, Principal Abhilasha Singh confirmed that her school has also encountered fake job postings. “We have come across such cases in the past where unauthorised websites posted fake job advertisements using our school’s name. These scams were designed to mislead job seekers, and we treat such incidents with utmost seriousness,” she said.

Measures to counter fraudulent job offers

To protect applicants, Shining Star advertises all vacancies only through trusted platforms including its official website, Naukri Gulf, Indeed, and LinkedIn.

Singh explained that job postings include QR codes directing applicants to official submission forms, offering a secure channel for applications. “For us, safeguarding the interests of job seekers and maintaining transparency in recruitment is a core priority, and we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in our hiring practices. Additionally, our HR teams undergo regular training to strengthen recruitment processes and stay alert to fraudulent practices. We also conduct periodic checks across job sites to detect and report fake postings,” she added.

Abhilasha Singh

Singh also highlighted that the school partners with Surasa, a recruitment company, to help secure qualified candidates and maintain the integrity of its hiring process.

Universities are also implementing measures to counter fraudulent job offers.

Saravana Kumar, Head of IT, BITS Pilani Dubai Campus said, “We have also come across instances of fraudulent job offers falsely attributed to our institution. Our HR and digital teams actively monitor online platforms to identify unauthorised job postings and phishing attempts. They are trained to recognise suspicious recruitment communications and follow an internal process to report and escalate any potential fraud promptly.”

Saravana Kumar

Kumar added that the university maintains an official recruitment portal, verified social media accounts, and an HR email address to ensure that applicants can access and verify legitimate opportunities. “We communicate with the public through official channels — such as our website and social media — to warn against fraudulent offers, phishing attempts and provide guidance on verifying legitimate recruitment communications,” he added.

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