With the holiday season comes lots of shopping and lots of hiring. Before you accept that side gig to make extra cash for gifts, watch out for signs that the job is actually a scam.
1. Asking for Payment
If the job description or employer requests you pay an upfront fee for anything, this is a red flag. This might include background or credit checks, drug testing, supplies, certifications, training materials, health insurance, or anything else the employer would normally pay for. After the jobseeker makes the advance payment, they are told they didn’t get the job or sometimes don’t hear back from the employer at all. Also, beware of people asking to be paid in cryptocurrency. Once the money is transferred it is almost impossible to track and you probably won’t be able to get it back. Watch our video to learn more about cryptocurrencies.
2. High Pressure Offers
If you receive unsolicited offers from employers that are in a rush to get you to sign up or invest in a business opportunity, this is a common sign of a job scam.
3. Getting Paid in Advance
Also known as a fake check scam, the scammer sends you a check and asks you to deposit it into your account. They then ask you to forward a portion of it back to them or a third party. The deposited check is actually a fake, and you may be responsible for all funds drawn from its deposit and could face check fraud charges. Another spin on this is the “Card Cracking” scam, where someone will use social media to advertise a way to get “easy money” and they ask the victim for their debit card information, then deposit fake checks into the account. Once the scammer has this info, they can go to an ATM and withdraw the money that you already have in your account.
4. Poorly Written Descriptions
If the job description has spelling or grammatical errors and/or the business’ graphics and logos look unprofessional, then it is best to stay away.
5. Getting Hired Without an Interview
Another red flag that you’re being scammed is receiving a job offer without in-person or telephone interviews. Look out for Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail addresses, instead of a business email address, and receiving emails outside of normal business hours. Another sign is only communicating by email, instant message or text message. If you speak to the person over the phone, complete a reverse phone number search online.
So what can you do to avoid these scams? Here are our top tips to protect yourself from job scams.
1. Research the Company
Make sure a company is real before you apply for a job you saw posted on a social networking site, in an online ad, or on a job board. A Google search should give you the company’s website, social media profiles, and contact information. If you can’t identify the company’s owner, product, headquarters, or even location, do not apply to the job.
2. Get a Complete, Written Job Description
Ask for full details or a complete description of the job in writing. If they can’t or won’t provide this to you, you should not accept the job. If you see a job posting from a well-known company, check their official website to verify that the job is legitimate. Some scammers use the name of large, established companies and post fake jobs to lure people into scams.
3. Protect Your Money
Employers do not ask applicants to pay for background checks, credit reports, administrative fees, materials or training. Never wire payments, send gift cards, or cash to someone you do not know. Gift card scams are particularly common during the holidays, and it is very difficult, if not impossible, to get your money back. Learn more about credit scams and get our top consumer tips here.
4. Protect Your Personal Information
Do not give out your social security number, birth date, driver’s license number or bank account information for direct deposit, until you have confirmed that the company and job posting is legitimate, and only after you have been made a written offer.
5. Trust Yourself
If something feels wrong, then it probably is. Trust your intuition and walk away from opportunities that sound too good to be true.
