During these times of high unemployment rates, job seekers are turning to the Internet more than ever to search for their next employer. Unfortunately, crooks and scammers are using this as an opportunity to victimize people, many of whom are vulnerable as they desperately seek to find work.

Here are some of the most common employment scams:

• Work from home - Scammers advertise that people can stuff envelopes or do assembly work from home. All you have to do is pay money upfront.
• Guaranteed job placement - After posting your resume online, you are contacted by somebody who promises guaranteed job placement in return for an upfront payment.
• Survey work – You are told to do surveys online and earn money for each survey completed.
• Mystery shopping – You receive a check and a survey in the mail with instructions to shop retailers. In most cases the check is not legitimate and/or a counterfeit. You will be held responsible by your financial institution for the funds due if you cash the check and spend the money.
• Money transfers – You are asked to open a bank account and deposit checks that are sent to you. The scammer usually claims to conduct business in a foreign country and asks you to wire-transfer those funds to their overseas account. You are acting as a “money transfer agent” and might be involved in illegal activities.

The main goal of scammers is to either steal your money by promising you a “too-good-to-be-true” job or your identity by getting access to your Social Security number or bank account and credit card information.

If you are asked to pay money upfront, give out credit card or bank account information, or provide your Social Security number before an interview is conducted, be extremely careful – it most likely is a scam.

To avoid becoming a victim of an employment scam, you should always thoroughly research the company, check references, read reports on the Better Business Bureau’s website and check if the sender’s email address matches the company name.

If you are a victim of an employment scam, report it immediately so action can be taken against it. You can report an employment scam to:
 

• Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) – http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
• Better Business Bureau – www.arizonabbb.org, www.tucson.bbb.org, (602) 264-1721 or (520) 888-5353

Alexandra Schindler is the Human Resources Associate for Arizona Central Credit Union, where she has worked since January 2008. She is from Europe and moved to Arizona in 2007 where she lives with her family.