Job Scams

Recently I got a response to one of my Craigslist job applications. Two Word documents were attached; one was a three-page document detailing the nature of the company, the services they provided, their history, and the requirements of the position. The other was an application form requesting my personal information.

I admit I didn't read them in their entirety. I skimmed over the company information (almost two pages' worth) to get to the job requirements. When I got to the part that said I would be depositing receipts into my own bank account, I rolled my eyes and deleted the e-mail. I want to be an accountant, not a money launderer.

As unemployment rises, so does the number of job scams. Scammers prey on the greedy and the desperate—the people who want to get rich without doing work, or (more and more these days) the people who are sinking fast and willing to grab anything that looks like a lifeline. If you've been unemployed for months, your meager savings have evaporated, and you're already behind on the rent, you're suddenly a lot more willing to listen to the guy who says you can make five thousand dollars a week with his foolproof system.

As you search for a real job, stay alert for the fake ones. Online job boards are prime targets for scammers, because they provide relative anonymity with a large pool of potential targets. Here are a few red flags I've found over the course of my job search.

Additional Forms to Fill Out: You've sent your résumé via e-mail, and they responded with an "application form" for you to fill out—either as an attachment or a link. Either way, there is no job. They're just mining you for data, getting your information to sell to spammers, marketers, whoever will pay for it. A web form can also double as a click-through harvester, providing them with hits while they gather your info.

Don't waste your time filling them out. You've already sent your résumé, the next step for an interested employer is to set up an interview. Any further information he needs can be provided in person, including...

The Credit Check: Even if the job has a legitimate need for a credit check, they have no need for it until they have established you as a serious candidate for the job—in other words, at the interview. Never, never fill out an agreement for a credit check over the internet. You don't know who's really asking for it, and the information is everything a criminal needs for ID theft.

Too Much Info: Sometimes your scammer will give you a lot of information about his fake company. My scammer sent me a page and a half of extraneous information, making me wonder if he was trying to hire me or sell me something.

Of course, he was trying to sell me something—his lie. A real company might give you a few sentences about itself, but what they're interested in are your qualifications. A scammer is trying to convince you of his credentials. If it looks more like a sales brochure than a job posting, be suspicious.

Fees: They're more common to work-at-home scams, but lately there have been some scammers charging you money to help you find work. It's not actually illegal, but chances are good they're not doing anything you can't do for yourself—and better. Genuine employment agencies do not charge you a fee.

Data Entry Jobs: There are some actual data entry jobs out there, but don't be too surprised if your application garners a sales pitch instead. So far I've only found one data entry job on Craigslist. All the others wanted to sell me lists of online survey sites.

There are some survey sites that will, in fact, pay you to take their surveys. But we're talking about pennies per survey, maybe a buck or two, and certainly not the thousands per week the scammer claims. If you're interested in online surveys, find them via a more trustworthy source. Someone who posted a misleading ad to get you on the hook is not someone who will give you reliable information.

The "Mystery Shopper" ads fall into the same category. The scammers will try to sell you their services finding you "mystery shopper" jobs. A legitimate secret shopper agency will never charge you a fee to apply for their jobs; they make their money from the companies that need the shoppers.

I hope these red flags will help you avoid the scams while you hunt for your next job. You can also find helpful information about job scams at ScamBusters.

Always be wary of someone coming at you with a smile and an answer to all of your problems. — Ginny Sanchez