Job Scams Are On The Rise, Here’s How To Spot Them

(DailyDig.com) – In the era of digital communications, scams targeting jobseekers have become a minefield to navigate when searching for legitimate opportunities.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scammers mimic honest employers by posting job opportunities via online advertisements on social media or job websites, television or radio ads, or newspaper announcements. They may even use email or texting to entice the innocent to reply to their scam. If successful, the scam will rob the respondent of their money or even their personal information.

People may receive offers for employment or even work-at-home opportunities even when they are not actively searching for work. Melanie McGovern, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) public relations director, said that much of what people reveal about themselves online makes them a mark for scammers. She said that they did a study on phishing for information that scammers are looking for online. Their findings revealed that scammers frequently target people who initially open themselves up with their own communication.

Phishing uses a ploy to gather personal information about people when they reply to fake offers of something a person may be interested in. They typically contact the victim via text or email, and this method has proven to be effective in scam operations. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) conducted a study that revealed that nearly 10,000 instances of phishing resulted in an average loss of $250 in 2021.

McGovern warned that if the scammers attempt to interview the jobseeker via text, it is a major red flag that the opportunity is fake. Another red flag would be if they requested that the jobseeker email them a check for remote equipment for a work-at-home opportunity. Any reputable company will not use these methods of interaction.

Scammers may also pretend to be recruiting agencies, which are usually well-known. Any authentic recruiting agency will never use text or email to offer employment. They may use phone calls or LinkedIn, but never WhatsApp, text, or email.