Media contact: Janet C. Hart, APR, CFEE (704) 927-8617 office
Weak Economy Breeds Employment
Schemes
CHARLOTTE,
N.C. – Now that the kids are back in school, you may be looking for a job. Or
you could be one of many people who have been laid off or unemployed for a long
time. With the
national unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent, the Better Business
Bureau warns that scammers are preying on unemployed people who are looking for
work.
“With high unemployment and very little
job growth, scammers are fishing for victims in a crowded pool of job seekers,”
said BBB President Tom Bartholomy, “and they are reeling them in one right
after the other.”
According to the U.S. Department of
Labor, new jobless claims in mid-August unexpectedly jumped to 500,000, an
increase of 12,000 over the previous week. Not only did jobless claims rise
suddenly, but the length of unemployment is also increasing.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports
that nearly 45 percent of unemployed Americans have been out of work for more
than six months.
“Even if you have been unemployed for a
long time,” added Bartholomy, “it’s critical for you to take additional time to
research a company before you accept a job.” The consequences of not doing your
homework on a prospective employer can range from having your identity stolen
to going to jail.
If you are looking for a job, the BBB
warns you to watch out for these red flags:
The job promises full-time income for part-time work. If it sounds too good
to be true, it is. Plus, if the job really paid full-time income for part-time
work, it would not be available.
The company offers “work at home” jobs. While many legitimate businesses allow
employees to work from home, there are also a lot of scammers trying to take
advantage of older adults, stay-at-home moms and people with disabilities who
need to work from home. The BBB classifies “work at home” jobs as being a
highly suspect industry with a high degree of fraud.
Common
work at home jobs that turn out to be scams include check processing and
repackaging products. For example, you are
hired to process payments. Your job involves receiving bundles of (fake)
checks, depositing them into an account set up by you at your bank, and then
wiring the money to another country. You are now involved in money laundering.
Or, you may be hired to receive shipments, repackage the products and ship them
overseas. You are now receiving stolen goods and shipping them out of the
country.
“If you get hired by a scammer, you could
become involved in criminal activities.” added Bartholomy, “and you would not
even know it until the FBI or Secret Service knocks on your front door.”
The employer asks for your Social Security or bank account
number before you are hired. This is not an
employment opportunity, it is a common ‘phishing’ scam. You should never give out your Social
Security or bank account numbers over the phone or via email.
The job involves being a “mystery shopper.” While there are some
legitimate jobs, the BBB classifies mystery shopper jobs as a highly suspect
industry with a high degree of fraud.
If you are hired as a ‘mystery shopper,’
you will receive a check for usually about $5,000 to deposit in your bank
account. Then, you will be instructed to test the services of Western Union or
MoneyGram by wiring the bulk of the money to someone overseas. Within
days, the check you deposited will be returned by your bank as fake, and you
will be on the hook for repaying your bank the $5,000.
The prospective employer asks you to pay money upfront. Scammers make a
fortune getting new ‘employees’ to pay for training materials, start-up kits or
background checks for non-existent jobs. “In N.C., it is illegal for a company
to charge you an advance fee for a job,” said Bartholomy. “You should not have
to pay to work for a company, they should pay you.”
The
prospective employer’s emails have grammar and spelling errors. Online fraud usually originates from
other countries where English may not be their first language.
The company requires you to check your own credit
through their credit check service. This ploy is either a
phishing scam to steal your identity or a sales scam to sign you up for a credit monitoring service.
For
more information about employment scams or to check out a prospective employer,
please visit www.bbb.org.
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