1. Purpose and Commitment

At Bioinformatics.ca, our mission is to connect skilled bioinformatics professionals with legitimate academic, clinical, and commercial opportunities. We recognize that trust is the currency of the scientific community. As such, we maintain a Zero Tolerance Policy regarding fraudulent, misleading, or predatory job advertisements.

2. Definition of Fraudulent Postings

We define a fraudulent job posting as any advertisement that attempts to mislead applicants or extract money/personal data under false pretenses. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Impersonation: Using the branding, names, or reputation of real firms, universities, or research institutes without authorization.
  • Phishing: Postings designed primarily to harvest sensitive personal information (SSN, visa details, banking info) under the guise of an application.
  • Financial Scams: “Pay-to-work” schemes or requests for candidates to purchase equipment upfront from a specific vendor.
  • Non-Existent Jobs: Postings for positions that do not exist, often used to build a database of resumes for marketing or spam purposes.

3. How to Report a Suspicious Posting

We rely on our community to help maintain platform integrity. If you spot a suspicious listing:

  1. Do not apply or reply to the email.
  2. Contact us via either:
    • Our Report a Job Posting form
    • Email our team directly at info@bioinformatics.ca with the subject line “Job Board: Potential Fraud.”

4. Enforcement

If a job posting is suspected or confirmed to be fraudulent, Bioinformatics.ca will take action. Our remediation process is as follows:

  1. Suspension and Removal 
    • Upon receipt of a credible report or internal flag, the job posting in question will be immediately removed from public view pending an investigation. 
  2. Investigation 
    • Our team will conduct an investigation, including contacting the official HR department or Principal Investigator (PI) of the alleged hiring organization to verify the listing.
  3. Permanent Ban 
    • If fraud is confirmed, the posting account will be permanently banned. All other active listings associated with that account will be removed. The entity will be blacklisted from making future postings.

5. Disclaimer

While Bioinformatics.ca utilizes strict vetting procedures, we cannot guarantee the legitimacy of every posting due to the sophisticated nature of modern scams. We urge all applicants to exercise due diligence.

Legitimate hiring organizations will never provide financial information, social insurance/security numbers, or payment for background checks during the initial application phase.