Job Scams, Redux

Speaking of job scams...

Just last week, I posted about some of the scams hitting the job boards. And this week I received a fine example of one. I applied for a bookkeeping job posted on Craigslist, and received this in reply:

Thanks for your interest in our office position. Just to restate the job duties for clarity, you will be answering the phone, scheduling meetings, and running company errands in a company car. When running errands you will be provided with a company credit card to make supply purchases, etc.

We have had some bad experiences with prior employees taking advantage of having access to a company credit card in the past, so before we can schedule an interview, we need you to get a credit check. We prefer you use http://www.nationalcreditchecker.com to obtain this information. When you submit your information they will send you your credit score. When you email me your credit score, we can schedule an interview. Please do not email me your credit report, as this may have private information in it. Just send me your credit score. If you have a low credit score, that will not prevent you from having an interview with us, as we just need to make sure you are an honest individual.

Please send me your schedule with availability. I am looking forward to your response, thanks.

(Name deleted)
HR Manager
KB Collins Contracting LLC.
(deleted)@collinscontracting.com
www.collinscontracting.com

The first thing I noticed was the change in the job—I applied for a bookkeeping job, and now I'm being offered what appears to be a clerical/administrative assistant position. But I understood after reading the second paragraph: they want me to go to their recommended web site and submit information for a credit report. My scammer even tells me not to e-mail her the credit report, as it may have private information—just send her the final score. I'm supposed to be reassured by her concern for my privacy.

It is completely legal for an employer to run a credit check on job candidates. However, the Fair Credit Reporting Act sets strict rules governing how they may go about doing so:

• The employer must notify you, in writing, that they will be using a credit or background check. This notification must be somewhat more inclusive than an offhanded sentence in an e-mail—it must explain to you the scope of the the report and how it will be used.
• The employer must also notify you, in writing, of your rights under the FCRA with regard to this background check.
• The employer must receive your written authorization for the credit check.
• If the credit check results in adverse action, such as being passed over for promotion (or in your case, being rejected as a job applicant), the employer is required to tell you beforehand that adverse action will be taken because of your credit check, and provide you with a copy of the report. It is required to notify you again after the action has been taken.

Scammers are always quick to cash in on widespread suffering. Unemployment is rising and job seekers are becoming more and more desperate. Scams targeting the unemployed are the latest fad in fraud.

Remember that desperation makes you vulnerable to these con games. Sending a résumé already means giving an uncomfortable amount of your history to a total stranger. Include only the minimum information needed to contact you—your e-mail address and/or phone number—and do not provide anything further unless you're handing it to them in a face-to-face interview.