Currently, you might be one of the millions of people looking for a job. Perhaps you’re a college graduate enters the market for the first time, looking for a summer job, or you just want a change. Either way, the easiest and most convenient way to find work these days is through the internet. There are a ton of job boards and websites to submit your resume.
The sad thing is, there’s a lot of risk when you use these sites. The Better Business Bureau just put out a warning for all job hunters to watch for fake job postings, work-at-home opportunities, and scam opportunities. A lot of these jobs can appear to be legitimate and even have real company names and logos to fool their victims.
The key here is to remember the rule: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. They’ll make promises of massive wages, great benefits, health insurance, and whatever they can to overwhelm you into thinking you just hit the jackpot. Then comes the scam, where they will ask you for upfront money to be trained.
The scammers will even ask you to send them money to purchase supplies. They’ll create some complicated scheme where they will want your bank account info to send you money to buy these supplies. It’s never an easy process. Before you know it, you’re being jerked around, they’ll need more money, or even say they accidentally sent too much and need the difference back.
Do Research Beforehand
Again, if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is. These scammers know how to draw on people’s desires. Who wouldn’t love an excellent opportunity to work from home or make money while shopping. We all want to do these things, so it’s quite easy to get caught up in their lies
“No legitimate job would ever overpay an employee and ask for money to be wired elsewhere,” the BBB warned. “This is a common trick used by scammers. If the job posting is for a well-known brand, check the real company’s job page to see if the position is posted there. Look online; if the job comes up in other cities with the exact same post, it’s likely a scam.”
Usually, these scams are well known. You won’t be rolling up on a fresh new scam, which is why it’s important to do research on the companies and jobs before giving any personal information. There’s already likely information out there, especially on the BBB website that will tell you if certain offers are scams.
“Be cautious sharing personal information or any kind of prepayment,” it said. “Be careful if a company promises you great opportunities or big income as long as you pay for coaching, training, certifications or directories.”
