Soft Skills Festival 2025 turns skills into shields against job scams

Skill mismatches, low wages, and intense competition are becoming an unsettling norm in the job market, creeping up to create fertile ground for job scams that prey on desperate job seekers. In the present day, job scams have evolved into a significant global threat, with over 6,500 Malaysian cases reported in 2023 alone, resulting in financial losses exceeding RM80million. The statistics, while alarming, only heralded the dawn of a deeper crisis in this advanced digital era.

As job advertisements become an everyday sighting on the screens of our digital devices, it is evident that the thin line between legitimate opportunities and fraudulent schemes is growing increasingly blurred. Coupled with job seekers’ desperation amidst widespread employment issues, this has created an ideal trap—one that lurks brazenly, waiting to devour its prey’s eagerness for an aspiring future. Hence, job seekers nowadays must possess the right knowledge and critical awareness to navigate the job market safely and avoid falling victim to deceitful schemes.

In an effort to promote awareness of job scams, students from UTAR Bachelor of Communication (Honours) Public Relations who enrolled in UAMP3084 Corporate Social Responsibility course, together with students from MPU34082 Oral Communication, and MPU34142 Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking and Problem-solving soft skill courses, collaborated to organise the Soft Skills Festival 2025 on 17 April 2025 at UTAR Kampar Campus, attracting over 500 participants.

Held in conjunction with the festival, the Think Before You Click, Job Scams Look Real international job scam awareness campaign was an initiative brought together by UTAR students, ASEAN Chiefs of National Police (ASEANAPOL) and the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) Kinta District. This collaborative effort aimed not only to shed light on the alarming rise of job scams, but also to provide the UTAR community with practical tips on verifying the legitimacy of job postings.

The collaborative campaign was supported by PolicingTV, the Global Foundation for Community Safety Volunteering, and the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Virginia, USA.

Besides vibrance, the festival was filled with skill-enriching activities — from fun game stations and quizzes, educational talks and live podcasts by crime prevention experts to booths selling crafts and merchandise, set up by UTAR students. These elements not only served as creative mediums to spread vital information about online safety, digital literacy, and scam prevention, but also offered a valuable opportunity for participating students to engage actively with external experts, thus creating a dynamic platform for learning, collaboration, and community outreach.

The students behind the crime prevention campaign, in particular, promoted a simple approach, comprising six simple steps to verify jobs and avoid falling victim to job scams. These six steps form the acronym V.E.R.I.F.Y., which stands for (1) View the offer carefully; (2) Examine the pressure imposed; (3) Reject payment requests; (4) Investigate the company; (5) Filter your personal information, and ensure that (6) You are in control. The V.E.R.I.F.Y. steps were designed to be simple and actionable for public awareness. The public service announcement video has been translated into multiple Southeast Asian languages to reach diverse communities across the region.

Police Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc, Director for Plans and Program ASEANAPOL Secretariat, said, “In this digital age, our collective awareness and vigilance are powerful defenders against online job scams and cyber-human trafficking. Hence, I commend the students at UTAR, and the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) Kinta District for organising this important campaign. At ASEANAPOL, we are committed to spreading this message at the regional and international levels.”

He also shared a job scam case about an African woman who went through meticulous and time-consuming phases of job qualifications, just to fall prey to human traffickers and be brought to Myanmar to work in an urban cyber scam centre. Through his in-depth sharing, Mr Nguyen advised students to always stay vigilant and smart while using digital media.

Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Luqman bin Abdul Rahman, Head of the Perak PDRM Criminal Investigation Department, highlighted that scammers are also part of our community and that it could be anyone. He encouraged students to play an active role in preventing scams, highlighting the importance of staying vigilant of any job advertisements, especially if they are too good to be true.

“We must be especially vigilant when we see high-paying job advertisements. We should not convince ourselves that ‘it’s just a job’ and unknowingly take part in fraudulent activities. Hence, I encourage all students to steer clear of any form of crime,” he said.

UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong said, “What makes this project especially significant is not only the creativity and quality of the outcomes but also the collaborative process, students working across disciplines, engaging with professionals, and producing materials that serve the public good. It clearly demonstrates how classroom learning can be applied to tackle pressing social challenges.”

He added, “When students are given the opportunity to lead initiatives like this, they grow not only in skills and knowledge, but also in confidence and social consciousness. With guidance from experienced professionals, their efforts bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application in the most meaningful way.”

The Student Project Director of the Think Before You Click, Job Scams Look Real international job scam awareness campaign, Revellyn Tan Jie Xin, said, “We want job seekers everywhere to be better informed, more cautious, and equipped with the skills they need to spot deception and avoid falling into these traps.”

She added, “These scams not only cause financial harm but also lead to emotional distress and, in severe cases, human trafficking. The campaign aims to raise awareness among job seekers about the tactics used by scammers, such as fear, urgency, upfront payments, fake company profiles, and requests for personal data.”

Also present at the Soft Skills Festival 2025 were MCPF State of Perak Chairman Dato’ Zainal Azman bin Abu Seman, MCPF Kinta District Chairman Mr Chung Kok Heung, Chang Jiang International Sdn Bhd (sponsor) representative Mr Joe Chan, Author of ‘Get Hired’ Dr Sebastian K Francis, and Project Advisor of the International Job Scam Awareness Campaign Prof Dr Cheah Phaik Kin.

The Soft Skills Festival 2025, in conjunction with the International Job Scam Awareness Campaign, empowered students to take an active role in combating cybercrime, while driving them to reflect on the significance of critical thinking and community engagement through hands-on experiences and real-world collaborations.

Since its inception in 2023, the Soft Skills Festival has upheld its mission of nurturing students’ soft skills through experiential learning activities beyond the classroom. Each year, the Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC) at UTAR collaborates with faculties, external organisations, and students to organise enriching activities such as workshops, talks, competitions, and community projects. These initiatives aim to cultivate key soft skill areas while integrating a unique and relevant theme into the festival to inspire student involvement and social responsibility.