Looking for a job? You’re not alone. With unemployment at a soaring rate of 9.2%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, many job hunters are turning to online job boards to post their resume and search for jobs. Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning job seekers to proceed with caution before sharing their personal qualifications for jobs found online.
The Internet provides an opportunity for ID thieves and scammers to take advantage of eager job seekers. It’s becoming common for scammers to lure in potential candidates with phrases like, “Get rich quick – without even leaving your home!” all in the hopes of getting their personal information. Craigslist, Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com and Facebook are all breeding grounds for scammers.
“Job seekers need to be on the look out for potential scams. Before posting your resume to a career site or inquiring about a job, make sure you know with whom you are dealing,” said Gary Almond, president and CEO of the BBB serving Northeast California. “Many job scammers are having candidates set up direct deposit accounts as part of the application process and making it seem as though it’s naturally part of the process to get an interview—when it’s absolutely not.”
BBB advises job hunters to be on the look out for these red flags when conducting their job search:
- Employer emails are rife with grammatical and spelling errors. Most online fraud is perpetrated by scammers located outside the U.S. When one’s first language is not English, it is often evident in a poor grasp of the language. Look for poor grammar and the misspelling of common words.
- Emails purporting to be from job posting websites claiming there’s a problem with a job hunter’s account. After creating a user account on a site, a job hunter might receive an e-mail saying there has been a problem with their account or they need to follow a hyperlink to install new software. Phishing e-mails like this are designed to convince readers to click a link within the message to fix the issue, but actually take them to a website that will install malware or viruses on their computer.
- An employer asks for extensive personal information such as social security or bank account numbers. Some job seekers have been surprised to learn they landed a job without an interview. However, when the employer asked for personal information in order to fill out the necessary paperwork suspicions were raised. Regardless of the reason given by the employer, a job applicant should never give out his or her Social Security or bank account number over the phone or by e-mail.
- An employer offers the opportunity to become rich without leaving home. While there are legitimate businesses that allow employees to work from home, there are also a lot of scammers trying to take advantage of senior citizens, stay-at-home moms, students and injured or handicapped people. Job hunters should use extreme caution when considering a work-at-home offer and always research the company with the BBB.
- An employer asks for money upfront. Aside from paying for a uniform, it is rarely advisable for an applicant to pay upfront fees for a job.
- The salary and benefits offered seem too-good-to-be-true. Phony employers might brag about exceptionally high salary potential and excellent benefits for little experience in order to lure unsuspecting job hunters into their scam.
- The job requires the employee to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram. Many phony jobs require the prospective employee to cash a check sent by the company through the mail and then wire a portion of the money on to another entity. Reasons given for this requirement vary from scam to scam. The check might clear the employee’s bank account initially, but will eventually turn out to be a fake. The consumer is then out of the money wired to the company.
For more consumer information you can trust, visit www.necal.bbb.org.