Online Job Scams
The online job scam problem is growing and evolving. Some schemes involve identity theft, others can involve eBay fraud and money laundering. Be aware of the following:
Be cautious if a prospective employer asks for your banking or credit card information while applying for a job online. Direct deposit is a convenience, but shouldn’t be the only payment method available.
Do not agree to accept, hold or transfer any amount of money on the company’s behalf.
Pay attention to the spelling in the ad. Many of online job scams are operated from people in non-english countries.
If possible check the company’s information and do a background check of your own before providing them with any of your personal information. Do they have a physical address in the U.S.? Is their information easily located through telephone directories? Are they using a company email address - or one from Yahoo or Hotmail?
More Reading:
5 Tips for a Safe Online Job-Search
News Articles Of Interest
Online Job Listing An ID Theft Scam: Background check used to steal full slate of personal info. Those who responded to a job listing for a marketing manager position were asked to fill out this form. The data was actually stolen by an ID thief.
Woman Facing Jail Time After Responding To Classified Ad: Bobbie Jean thought she had finally found work when she answered an online classified ad last fall for an overseas firm. Instead, within weeks of her hiring, she was arrested at her local bank, charged with a felony, and is currently facing an August trial date in a Harris County, Texas court. Bobbie Jean now says she was tricked into helping an international fraud ring to move stolen money out of the country.
Online Job Scammers Steal Millions: And just that quickly, she became an unwitting member of an Internet scam that’s being blamed for a half billion dollars in attempted thefts from U.S. firms during the past 18 months. The crime has Internet merchants, along with the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Office, fit to be tied.
For more detailed information regarding online job scams, please see: World Privacy Forum