Beware of Job Scams

The first scam dates back to 193 A.D. with the sale of the Roman Empire.  During a time of unrest a special army that was supposed to be loyal to the emperor killed him and offered his empire to the highest bidder. The highest bidder was Julianus. He paid each member of the army 250 gold pieces which is valued at $1 billion dollars today. In the end Julianus was overthrown because the empire did not belong to the army to sell. The guards that received money for the empire were later killed by the new emperor for their role in illegal sale of the empire.

A new type of scam involving job postings has become very popular with the demand for jobs and an unsteady economy. A job scam occurs when a scammer poses as an employer or recruiter, and offers attractive employment opportunities which require that the job seeker pay money in advance. This is usually under the appearance of background and/or credit checks that are required for the job. Once the money has been paid to the scammer disappears, and the job seeker is left with no job, and a loss of money. A job scammer’s goal is always the same despite the approach; to gain money and or obtain confidential personal information that can be used for identity theft.

WAYS TO AVOID JOB SCAMS

-REMEMBER! No legitimate company or recruiter will ask for money upfront. Not for anything.

-Do some research on the company, visit the company’s website. If they do not have one, or it does not have contact details, then you need to tread cautiously!

-Legitimate job related emails will come from corporate email accounts. Any recruiter or company that corresponds from a free email account such as Yahoo, Live, Hotmail or Gmail is very likely a scammer

-Check scam lists. Always check with organizations such as Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission to see if the company has been reported as a scammer

-Always remember that reputable companies are not going to offer you a role without interviewing you first. NEVER accept a job offer that has come through via email, when you have never had a telephone or face-to-face interview.

-Double check the URL, or the web address of the company.

- Be cautious of emails with grammatical and spelling mistakes.

SECURE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!

You will eventually have to provide your social security number to an employer — when you’re completing a job application or employment contract — but do so only after you have validated that the company is legitimate.

                                                                                                                              ~Kyla Hendy