Job hunting: Don’t get scammed

By Michelle Dustin

Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons in the United States has grown by about 5.3 million, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. In the month of March alone, this number increased by 694,000 - reaching a staggering 13.2 million.

An accord of anxiety and desperation has become palpable in the online job market. “The current economy is such that there are so many people unemployed and so many families in desperate circumstances that they’re grasping at anything that comes their way,” says David Smitherman of the Birmingham Better Business Bureau.

And in true ‘kick ‘em while they’re down’ fashion, online predators are exploiting these vulnerable job seekers using savvy, sophisticated techniques.

With 50 percent of the unemployed population looking for work via the internet, these cyber villains effortlessly lure a multitude of workless individuals into their traps by disguising as legitimate money-making opportunities.

These counterfeit classifieds come in a variety of forms. One commonly used ploy; phishing. Scammers post a phony employment ad, often touting generous perks. After responding to the ad, applicants are lead to believe they are a likely candidate and are asked for further information including their social security number, driver’s license number, even account information. It is often explained that such information is needed for payment via Direct Deposit, a criminal background check or credit report. Once the information is obtained it’s sold to criminals and the job seeker’s fortuitous find quickly and often irrevocably transforms into a financial or identity-theft nightmare.

Check scams and Postal Forwarding scams share a similar method. Ensnarement in this type of fraud begins when unawares respond to an ad for a “correspondence manager.” Job duties: receive package through mail, repackage item and send to address provided. Unbeknownst to the misled ‘correspondence manager,’ they are receiving merchandise purchased with stolen credit cards and sending it to thieves. Not only are the crooks able to heist filched goods, but the divergence aids in obscuring the money trail.

Check scams work in the same manner; an individual accepts wire transfers into their bank account, then unwittingly transfers this, minus their cut, to their ‘boss’s’ account. In both schemes the victim blindly abets illegal activity; making them liable for incurred losses.

Proceeding with caution can save job seekers from the cleverest attempts of online predation. When surfing Internet job boards, simply taking a closer look at the ad itself may reveal warning signs. Listings using terms such as Mystery Shopper, Envelope Stuffing, Mail Order Business, Medical Billing or Claims Processing should be suspiciously evaluated. Often in conjunction with these questionable ‘opportunities’ are upfront fees, commonly rationalized as training material costs. Legitimate employers will not assess fees – they pay you, not the other way around.

Another red flag: multiple spelling and grammar errors. A genuine listing can surely be faulted a minor misspell or punctuation error on rare occasion, but a fraudulent listing is often conspicuously unintelligible.

A forewarning cue often overlooked is the e-mail address provided by the job poster. An employer associated with an accredited company should have an e-mail address linking them to the organization. An ad for Michelle Dustin, Inc. should provide an e-mail address such as employername@michelledustininc.com, as opposed to a throwaway email address such as employername@yahoo.com.

Lacking these cautionary leads does not guarantee a posting’s authenticity. However, a more direct form of interaction could dissuade one from further pursuance. Hasty procedure, such as offering an individual a position without a job interview, is cause for concern. Be wary, too, of a potential employer who is evasive and avoidant when questioned. Most importantly, the request for personal information – driver’s license, social security number, account numbers – screams scam, particularly in the early stages of the hiring process or without even so much as a formal interview. Checking all organizations with the Better Business Bureau is a surefire way to verify a company’s credibility.

Surfing the online classifieds greatly impersonalizes the job search process, making scams easier for criminals to pull off. Following these safety tips can help job seekers dodge faulty ads, likely saving themselves a world of hassle and financial ruin. The old adage rings true; if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.