Having a personal assistant by your side helps you manage your busy routine and keep your household or business operating smoothly. The demand for personal assistants is increasing rapidly, but personal assistant scams are also on the rise. If you are not careful about hiring the right candidate from a reputable agency, you are potentially putting your private information at risk. In this blog, we will discuss a few reasons behind the rise of personal assistant scams, the common scams to be vigilant about, and how to safeguard your household from these scams.
Why Personal Assistant Scams Are on the Rise
Personal assistants are becoming a critical need for an increasing number of individuals and households. This demand gives scammers an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and to commit crimes. Below are a few reasons why personal assistant scams are on the rise.
Increased Trust Is Placed in Household Staff
Household staff, particularly personal assistants, work closely with their employers. For this reason, owners and house managers place increased trust in PAs and entrust them with critical duties. Increased trust and a lack of supervision provide scammers with an opportunity to commit crimes.
A Combination of Personal and Professional Tasks
A personal assistant is your go-to person for personal matters, professional tasks, and administrative duties. Much of the time, personal and professional tasks are connected, and your critical information may land in the hands of a fraudster.
Access to Confidential Information and Assets
Since personal assistants work closely with the employer and act as their liaison in many situations, they have open access to the employer’s financial information, passwords, personal and business contacts, and assets. If you are employing a scammer, it may only be a matter of time before they misuse that access.
Six Common Personal Assistant Scams to Watch For
Scammers posing as personal assistants may be emboldened when they realise that their employer is not vigilant or doesn’t have a lot of knowledge about such scams. Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of potential scams you can fall victim to. Below are some common personal assistant scams to watch out for.
Identity Theft or Falsified Credentials
If you are not careful, it’s not hard for personal assistants to get access to your private information, such as social security details, credit cards, family information, and bank statements. Once the scammers obtain this information, they can falsify their credentials to commit crimes such as identity theft and financial fraud.
Financial Fraud or Embezzlement
Personal assistants often make financial transactions on behalf of their employer. Therefore, they have access to their employers’ financial information, including debit and credit cards, bank account details, and investment accounts. With this information at their disposal, many scammers can commit theft and embezzlement.
Vendor Kickbacks or Insider Deals
If your personal assistant is dealing with your business’s vendor directly, it is recommended to supervise their handling of invoices and contracts. Scammers often misquote invoices and make under-the-table deals with vendors to get kickbacks, which come out of the employer’s finances.
Access Abuse
Personal assistants enjoy access to a lot of personal and professional information about their employer, including family matters and trade secrets. If this information falls into the hands of a fraudster, they can sell it, leak it, or blackmail the employer for money.
Fake Resumes and PA Impersonation
It’s very common for scammers to apply for personal assistant jobs with fake resumes and impersonate the experiences and the education of real personal assistants. They may use fake names and references to show credibility.
Personal Manipulation or Overstepping Boundaries
Scammers are experienced manipulators. They often pose as their employers’ friends or advisors to earn trust. You may notice them becoming increasingly involved with your personal and professional matters and overstepping boundaries, supposedly in the name of support. These actions give them an opportunity to pull off crimes at your expense.
How to Safeguard Your Household from PA Scams
While scammers are coming up with new ways to commit crimes, there are certain measures you can take to safeguard your household from personal assistant scams.
Hire Through Trusted Agencies
Always hire personal assistants through trusted agencies. Reputable placement agencies thoroughly vet each candidate, conduct background checks, and check their references before recommending them for a job. As a result, you get assurance that your PA is a verified candidate.
Use Legally Binding Contracts and NDAs
When onboarding your personal assistant, make sure they sign an employment contract with terms and conditions approved by a lawyer. It’s also a good practice to ask PAs to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to help protect your confidentiality.
Set Up Financial Controls
It is advisable not to let your PA take control of your finances in the first few months of employment. Once they’ve earned your trust, you can allow them to help you make transactions and conduct purchases from time to time. If you are giving your personal assistant some access to your finances, they should be required to obtain your approval.
Conduct Regular Audits and Check-Ins
Personal assistants are qualified to take ownership and leadership. As such, they often act as the right hand of the employer. However, to maintain security and safety over your operations and personal matters, conduct regular audits and impromptu check-ins. Make sure your PA knows that you’re keeping an eye out for any potential issues when it comes to your life.
Limit Access to Sensitive Information
Regardless of how much you trust your personal assistant, always keep their access to sensitive information limited. This information includes your family background, your or your company’s financial records, your ATM pins, and other details.
Observe Behaviour Over Time
Even if you’ve hired your PA from a reliable agency, observe their behaviour over time to judge if they are a good fit in the long term. Do not give all access to them at once. Keep track of their performance to determine what they can be trusted with and what you should withhold from them.
What to Do if You Suspect a Scam
You can take all the precautions you can think of, but some scammers find a way to target you. If you suspect that your personal assistant is a scammer, the following are recommended actions to take.
Document Everything
The first step is to document all relevant information. These details include your personal assistant’s actions, emails, and text messages, as well as when and how they used your information to potentially conduct a scam or a crime. Documentation builds your case and makes it stronger.
Suspend Access Immediately
If you suspect that your PA might be using your sensitive information for personal gain, suspend their access to that information immediately. For example, if they have your cards, cancel or block all of them right away. In addition, do not let them know about your suspicions until you have a complete case ready.
Contact Legal Counsel and Law Enforcement if Needed
Contact your lawyer immediately and, if required, call law enforcement. Your legal advisor will help you with the best legal recourse available to you, while the police will ensure that the scammers do not escape legal consequences.
Alert Your Staffing Agency or Employment Lawyer
If you have hired your personal assistant from a staffing agency, a placement agent, or through an employment lawyer, contact them immediately to alert them about the situation. It is in their best interest, as well as their clients’ best interests, to avoid dealing with the criminal.
Create a Formal Report and Implement Stronger Safeguards
Once you resolve the matter, create a formal report. This report may include challenges you faced and the measures you may have omitted while hiring your PA. Use this report to implement stronger protocols while hiring and supervising to safeguard your personal and professional life.
Work with Only Trusted Household Staffing Experts
If you are in the market to hire a personal assistant but also want to protect yourself from personal assistant scams, you should hire your PA from a trusted household staffing agency. Charles MacPherson Associates works with a strong network of thoroughly vetted, verified, and reference-approved candidates, and we employ experienced placement agents who use strict protocols. Schedule a consultation, and let us find you a personal assistant candidate who is a perfect match.