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| AJIRALEO |
the difference. Here are some tip-offs to help you identify fake job offers and avoid job scams. Internet fraud is rampant, and scammers prey on job seekers. Your best defense is to do your research and report internet job scams.
Review these tips, so you can identify and avoid a variety of different
types of scams designed to get your personal information and your money.
Top 10 Internet Job Scam Warning Signs
Top 10 Internet Job Scam Warning Signs
Too Good to be True
Good jobs are hard to find. Like your mom always said, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some tip-offs that the ‘job’ is fake.
Good jobs are hard to find. Like your mom always said, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some tip-offs that the ‘job’ is fake.
- You didn’t contact them; they contacted you: They say that they found your resume online. They either offer you a job right away or say they want to interview you. Sometimes the scammers will try to entice you by saying that you made the cut and they are interviewing the finalists for the job.
- The pay is great: Here are two examples:
Healthcare Admin Assistant: “This is
a work from home job. Work hours is from 9am-4pm Monday-Friday You will
earn $45 per hour for this position, you are also expected online at
Yahoo Messenger during working hours. We also offer flexible hours....”
Here’s a note from a reader about an Operations Officer scam: “I
have never had anyone offer me a job working 20 hours a week, for
$72,800 annually, without an interview or two or three. They don't
really say what you will be doing or where...The company address is in
Spain.”
- You get the job right away. After a quick phone or Instant Message interview, the ‘interviewer’ immediately contacts you to offer you the job.
- Tip: Scammers troll job boards looking for victims. To reduce the chance, you’ll get scammed, use job sites that have privacy policies and only allow verified employers to view the listings.
Vague Job Requirements and Job Description
Scammers try to make their emails sound believable by listing job requirements. Usually, these requirements are so ridiculously simple that almost everyone qualifies: Must be 18 years old, Must be a citizen, Must have access to the internet. (You wouldn’t be reading their email if you didn’t have internet access, right?) The job requirements don’t mention years of education or experience. As a rule of thumb, if it’s a real job, the requirements will be quite specific.
Scammers try to make their emails sound believable by listing job requirements. Usually, these requirements are so ridiculously simple that almost everyone qualifies: Must be 18 years old, Must be a citizen, Must have access to the internet. (You wouldn’t be reading their email if you didn’t have internet access, right?) The job requirements don’t mention years of education or experience. As a rule of thumb, if it’s a real job, the requirements will be quite specific.
Job scam emails usually
don’t include clear job descriptions, either. Many job seekers say that
when they ask for a job description or list of job duties, they get the
brush-off. The interviewer either ignores the questions or says
something like “Don’t worry, we’ll train you.”
Unprofessional Emails
Some emails from scammers are well-written, but many aren’t. Real companies hire professionals who can write well. If the email contains spelling, capitalization, punctuation or grammatical mistakes, be on your guard. Here’s an example submitted by a reader:
Some emails from scammers are well-written, but many aren’t. Real companies hire professionals who can write well. If the email contains spelling, capitalization, punctuation or grammatical mistakes, be on your guard. Here’s an example submitted by a reader:
“The Human resources have just reviewed your resume due to the one you posted on www.allstarjobs.com.You are now scheduled for an interview with the hiring manager of the company.Her name is Mrs. Ann Jernigan; you are required to set up a yahoo mail account(mail.yahoo.com) and a yahoo instant messenger.”
In this example, the mistakes include:
- Capitalization errors -- ‘Human resources’ should be ‘Human Resources’, and ‘yahoo’ should be ‘Yahoo’
- Punctuation errors -- Commas, periods and parentheses should be followed by a space
- Grammatical errors -- “Human resources have reviewed” should be “Human Resources has reviewed...”
Online Interviews via Yahoo Instant Messenger
Yahoo IM is very popular with scammers. Many attempted scams say that the interview will take place online using Yahoo Instant Messenger or another instant messaging service. The scammers often include instructions for setting up a Yahoo IM account and contacting the .hiring manager.
Yahoo IM is very popular with scammers. Many attempted scams say that the interview will take place online using Yahoo Instant Messenger or another instant messaging service. The scammers often include instructions for setting up a Yahoo IM account and contacting the .hiring manager.
- Tip: If you’re applying for an online job and you’re told that the interview will take place online via instant message, research the company and its representatives before you agree to an interview. And if you agree to be interviewed, ask detailed questions about the job during the interview. Don’t give out confidential information such as your bank account, credit card or Social Security numbers. Don’t be fooled just because the interview questions sound real.
Emails Don’t Include Contact Information or Are Sent From a Personal Email Account
If the email doesn’t include the company’s address and phone, it’s a good bet that it’s a scam. And it’s a good bet that it’s a scam if the interviewer makes an excuse for using a personal email address by saying the company’s servers are down, or the company is experiencing too many problems with spam, or the company hasn’t yet set up its email system.
If the email doesn’t include the company’s address and phone, it’s a good bet that it’s a scam. And it’s a good bet that it’s a scam if the interviewer makes an excuse for using a personal email address by saying the company’s servers are down, or the company is experiencing too many problems with spam, or the company hasn’t yet set up its email system.
Some scam emails will look like they come from real companies. One reader reported that
“The scammer’s email address was jobs@senergy-world.com. The real company email is jobs@senergyworld.com”
Tip: Look at the email address
carefully, then copy/paste it into the search box. You can also type in
the word ‘scam’ after the email address to see if someone else has
reported the company.
Search Results Don’t Add Up
Before agreeing to an interview, do your research. If it’s a real company, you should be able to find information about the company by doing an online search. Finding information does not guarantee that the company is legit, but if you can’t find anything, you can bet it’s a scam. One reader got a scam job offer from Fijax.com:
Before agreeing to an interview, do your research. If it’s a real company, you should be able to find information about the company by doing an online search. Finding information does not guarantee that the company is legit, but if you can’t find anything, you can bet it’s a scam. One reader got a scam job offer from Fijax.com:
“Firstly
their email is very unprofessional; there is no signature at the end.
When I checked for the company on GOOGLE, I found nothing, not even a
website!”
Some scammers pretend to represent real companies. One of our readers
reported that she received a job offer from ‘Proctor and Gambel’, but
the real company is named ‘Procter & Gamble.’ Another reader says
that he was offered a job by someone who claimed to represent
Gloprofessionals, but when he did his research, he found out it was a
scam:
“ALWAYS contact the REAL company or
business and ask if this employee exists, that is how I found out this
employee was a fraud.”
- Tip: Sophisticated scammers sometimes set up nice-looking websites -- but looks can be deceiving. Try this: go to the Domain White Pages and type the company’s web address into the “domain or IP address” box and click the “go” button. The results will tell you the date when the website was created. If the website is less than a year old, be on your guard.
- Tip: When searching for information about the company, search for both the company’s name and the email address. Also, copy/paste paragraphs from the email into the search box. Scammers may change the company name but re-use the other parts of the email, and it’s possible you’ll find an identical email posted online.
You’re Asked to Provide Confidential Information
Some scammers ask for your bank account information to set up direct deposit or transfer money to your account, or ask you to open a new bank account and provide the information to them:
Some scammers ask for your bank account information to set up direct deposit or transfer money to your account, or ask you to open a new bank account and provide the information to them:
Other scammers will tell you to go to a website and fill out a credit report form or provide confidential information so they can “put you on the company insurance.” Identity theft scams try to get you to provide your Social Security number and birth date and other personal information.
- Tip: Before entering personal information online, check to make sure the website is secure by looking at the web address bar. The address should be https:// not http://
They Say They Will Send You Money or Valuables, or They Want to Use Your Personal Bank Account to Transfer Funds.
Some of my readers tell me that they’ve received checks that look like real cashiers checks. They are instructed to deposit the check, keep some of the money for themselves and send the rest of the money to someone else via Western Union or Money Gram. Then, a few days or weeks later, they get a call from the bank saying the check is fake. They have lost money they sent. Here’s an example from a reader:
Some of my readers tell me that they’ve received checks that look like real cashiers checks. They are instructed to deposit the check, keep some of the money for themselves and send the rest of the money to someone else via Western Union or Money Gram. Then, a few days or weeks later, they get a call from the bank saying the check is fake. They have lost money they sent. Here’s an example from a reader:
“Once you receive the check, First
of all, I want you to head right away to your bank and get the check
cashed. Deduct your first-week pay which is $500, and Deduct extra $100
for the Money Gram sending fee and proceed to the nearest Money Gram
outlet around you to make payment to my wife travel agent.”
Some scammers ask to use your personal bank account to transfer money from one account to another account. It is called money laundering,
and it’s against the law. Other scams ask you to receive and forward
packages from your home. These packages might contain stolen goods or
illegal substances.
They Want You to Pay for Something
Legitimate companies don’t ask for money. If you’re told that you need to purchase software or pay for services, beware. Here are three examples.
Legitimate companies don’t ask for money. If you’re told that you need to purchase software or pay for services, beware. Here are three examples.
- Buy this software: “They were offering $15 hr for training and $24.75 to start. I was so excited to work from home and actually be paid a decent wage. The interview went well, and I was told I have the job. YAY! Then I was told that they were going to send me a brand new HP laptop for work, but I needed to pay for the software for it. I thought not a problem; I've had to upgrade in the past for jobs. Well here is the RED FLAG! We need you to send $312 Western Union for software costs...”
- Pay for a credit report: “The job will require you to work in a high financial environment, so it is our corporate policy that we perform financial verification check on all employees to ensure applicant registration info. Its corporate policy that we have applicants sent through our link, so we are compliant with the U.S employment standards act... Fill out the form and indicate that you want the free report.” Here’s what a reader had to say about this scam: “...These companies are using the internet to first get job seeking people to use their site and then be told they need a credit check to apply for a job thru their site, then that company charges an unauthorized fee on your credit card which you used to pay a $1.00 and one time fee for the credit check. Preying on those who can least afford it! Shame on you!”
- Pay to have your resume review: “"You have a lot of strong, relevant experience and are an excellent candidate although it would be best to improve your resume before doing anything with it. I can refer you to a resume writing expert that can improve your resume to the standard we are looking for, and I believe he charges around $150 or so...”
Your “Gut” Says It’s a Scam
Researching the company is your best defense, but some scammers are very clever. If you start to feel that things aren’t right, trust your intuition. Ask questions and pay close attention to the answers. Slow the process down and don’t be pressured into making a commitment or giving out personal information. Do more research. If it turns out to be a scam, report it to the authorities.
Researching the company is your best defense, but some scammers are very clever. If you start to feel that things aren’t right, trust your intuition. Ask questions and pay close attention to the answers. Slow the process down and don’t be pressured into making a commitment or giving out personal information. Do more research. If it turns out to be a scam, report it to the authorities.
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