Better Business Bureau Warns Job Seekers of ID Theft
The Better Business Bureau is warning job seekers once again to be careful when applying for jobs. With 13 states showing an unemployment rate of 10% or higher it’s clear that unemployment is a problem. Scam artists are taking advantage of the situations and the public needs to be aware.
There are several ways that scammers take advantage of job seekers. Most of the scams involve background checks, upfront fees, and phishing scams.
1. Upfront Fees – There has been an increase of ads for jobs claiming several position openings and all that is required is money for a background check. The money of course does not go toward a background check and they keep your money and use your personal information to steal your identity. Don’t fall for this simple scam. Know a company is legitimate before giving out any information and insist you give it to them in person and never over the phone.
2. Job Placement Companies – Even though most job placement companies are legitimate businesses some of them are not. One needs to be cautious when a company makes promises that they can’t keep. Most firms are free to people looking for jobs they collect a fee from the companies who need people to fill positions. Be careful when companies want to you pay a fee for a guarantee you get a job. A promise they can’t keep and often times will pocket your money and never call you.
3. Phishing attacks – Phishing attacks are common on the Internet. It’s easier to know if a site is fake when you know what the real website and company looks like . This is why websites for fake business are harder to detect. Phishing websites of fake businesses who hire you and want you to send them personal information they use to steal your identity.
Always be suspicious of companies asking for private information before meeting them in person. Even then make sure you do your homework on the business to make sure they are a legitimate company. Be suspicious when companies ask for money upfront for any reason. Don’t give out information for a background check before you are sure the business is legitimate. If you are aware of these things you stand a better chance of preventing a job search related identity theft.
Tags: ID theft, ID theft protection, scams