As unemployment has risen, more and more people are finding themselves entering a very challenging job market. Job seekers are sifting through many online job listings looking for an opportunity, and unfortunately, so are the spammers and scammers. It is important to understand how to protect yourself from unscrupulous people that are just waiting to take advantage of the unsuspecting person. These tips will help you spot and avoid some of the common traps that scammers employ and protect yourself from losing money, wasting time and even having your identity stolen.
- Consider setting up an email address exclusively for your job search.
There are many sites that offer free email accounts, such as www.gmail.com , www.yahoo.com and www.live.com just to name a few. Remember to keep it simple and stick with something like firstname.last@email.com. By keeping your job search separate from your personal email address it will be harder for a scammer to track you down through social media and other sites that may have personal information. There will be times when, despite your best efforts, you will apply to a job listing that is used solely to harvest email addresses for spammers. When your job search is over, it will be easy to delete the email address and the spam right along with it.
- View Work-from-Home opportunities skeptically
If you look at almost any job board lately, you will find many listings offering work-from-home employment. Naturally, these jobs appear to be dream jobs for those of us struggling to balance work and family. In this day and age of internet and telecommuting, there are many companies that offer legitimate employment for at home workers. Many of these legitimate positions involve customer service, appointment setting and transcription, however, listings that advertise data entry, envelope stuffing and survey taking are always favorites of scammers. This isn't to say that just because a job listing says that it is a work at home position that it is a scam, but always view these listing skeptically, and do the research.
- Avoid Ads that appear to be typed or spaced poorly
If you have browsed through job listings lately, you will see that many ads appear to be double or triple spaced to make the ad itself much larger than is necessary. In addition, many of these same ads seem to have been poorly written with incorrect grammar and simple spelling errors. Scammers do this on purpose to make the reader feel like they are a real person who isn't savvy in the art of ad writing. Employers who are looking for a new addition to their team will have taken the time to carefully draft their ad. Don't fall for thinking that they must really be desperate for a ‘Secretary’ because they can't formulate a professional ad. Replying to this sort of ad is a waste of time.
- Beware of listings that give you a 1-800 number to apply
Local businesses that are looking for new employees typically will give you their local number to contact if they don't want applicants sending emails. There are a few exceptions, as some large corporations may provide a toll free number to reach their Human Resources Department, however, they will almost always list the company name alongside the toll free number. Often scammers will require a job seeker to contact them at a toll free number and proceed to ask for very specific personal information. Occasionally, scammers will respond to your email telling you that due to the high volume of responses to their posting, they are requiring applicants to sign up at a website to verify that they are not spammers. The website will ask you to put in your cell number and click ‘submit’ so that they can verify that you are a real person. After the verification process, you are told someone will contact you for an interview. The job offer or interview never comes. In these instances, your cell phone number can be circulated to more telemarketing services, increased exposure you to possible identity theft risks or automatic ‘subscription’ charges to your cell phone that are often overlooked on cell phone billing statements.
- "Red Flags"
Another favorite tactic of scammers is to send you an email telling you that they have tried to contact you about the job opportunity, and time is running out. The email solicitation states, “We really like your resume and think that you would be a terrific addition to our team.” The alleged HR representative goes on to tell you that she is personally vouching for you, and that in order for them to offer you the job, you need to go to a specific web address and order a copy of your credit report and forward it to them. This request should be a ‘red flag’ to you. Specific screenings (background checks, credit checks, etc.) will always be paid by the hiring organization, never by you. Which brings me to my last point…
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
No matter how desperate you are to find a job or how wonderful the opportunity sounds, if it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is. The web is littered with ads that offer great pay and benefits for part time work, work at home positions that require little to no experience and advertisements that offer great pay and ask for generic skills such as “must possess strong interpersonal skills” and “should be a self-starter” along with very vague descriptions of what the position is. Scammers prey upon the weaknesses of their victims. They hope that even smart people will disregard their own common sense and go ahead and forward their credit report or give out their cell phone information or credit card information in order to get the job of their dreams. Be cautious. Don't set aside common sense when deciding which listing to apply. And, don't lose hope, for every scammer out there, there are real companies looking to hire real people like yourself.
- Melissa Kennedy
(Melissa Kennedy is a freelance writer, volunteer, mom and full time job seeker.)
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