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Scam Jobs! BEWARE!

 

 

Welcome back, to another tale of scam jobs! Just like that old Monty Python sketch with the constant bombardment of spam on that poor person who didn't like spam, we can say: "I Don't Like Scam!"

 

 

 

It is becoming even more ridiculous in the job market. More and more scams are arising from the common places for employment searches. To name a few, I have noticed it frequently from Linkedin, Indeed, and Glassdoor postings. If you simply apply using the "Easy Apply" button, there is some uncertainity in general if the job application is real or if the application ever made it into the right hands. More frequently I have noticed that the application lands in the hands of people who respond quickly back from suspicious email address requesting interviews with "Whatsapp" and other ways to interview that should ring warning bells for you. These could include suggested interviews with no video and just text messaging or through secure web applications often used just by friends or other communication. These are just some of the many tricks. Be cautious if a request for an interview or other information comes to you in a form other than a formal interview in person or by phone or by a repuatable video service (Zoom, etc.). Be aware of the many scams out there! They are using texts and many other ways to trick you (https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/its-not-a-real-job-its-an-employment-scam).

 

Sometimes people are even sending out debit cards or cards that look like real debit cards. I received one. It had a bank name and what appeared to be a legitimate card number. I called the bank and found it to be a company (real or fake, I do not know) had created it and sent it in my name to me to use as an employee of their's. The problem? I never applied nor accepted a job with that company. I quickly had them report it as fraud and notified the credit agencies to report fraud on my credit. 

 

 

What To Do? 

 

 

There are many ways to protect yourself. To start with, whenever possible, apply directly on a company's website for employment. This will limit scammers from getting your contact information. If you get a text or email, check the number or email address. Is it from an employer you applied to and is it legit? Check to see if the domain is the same as the employer. Often times scammers will create domains to send emails or create fake websites that mimic or closely look like a legitimate company. I have received several scams through text and email with websites that have an extra "s" on the end of domain or some other letter difference that is only slightly off from the legitimate website. I recommend using a Whois lookup (https://lookup.icann.org/en/lookup or https://www.whois.com). This will provide basic information about the website and its creator including (sometimes) name of person who created it (or company), and just as important, other information such as date of creation or register. If it was just created in the last few days, I would normally consider it to be not the website for the company I applied to for the job.

 

For me I have noticed these issues frequently as of late. Just keep your eyes open and cautious on what you send to people when looking for employment. Keep up the good fight. If they don’t find you a match now, maybe you can at least catch an eye or two and raise a brow. Keep it up.