Don't Fall for These Job Scams

Nancy Anderson
Posted by •


The ability to perform an online job search is a huge benefit to job seekers, saving them time and effort, but the Internet is also a breeding ground for job scams. When you're on the job hunt, beware of these eight common online job scams.

1. Copycat Companies

Watch out for companies that have a name or logo that closely matches a more reputable employer. Some job scammers even use the actual name of a large organization. Do some research on the recruiter and the company before making a move.

2. Vague Job Descriptions

If a job posting lists requirements and skills that are vague and apply to nearly everyone without the need for education, training or work experience, it may be a job scam. Don't provide any personal information until you get more specific details about the position.

3. Trial Employment Period

If a recruiter tells you that you're one of a few selected candidates and asks you to participate in a two- or three-week trial employment period, be leery. Many job scammers use this tactic to collect your personal details and then disappear.

4. Employment Agencies

Some less-than-reputable employment agencies post ads with fake jobs that sound very appealing just to collect information from hopeful job seekers. These agencies often use a bait-and-switch approach, offering a less-enticing position after they have your personal details.

5. Unknown Recruiter

Be skeptical about any unsolicited job offers you receive, whether through email, LinkedIn, Twitter or other means. Research the recruiter using Google and social media before you respond to the offer.

6. Secret Job Lists

Don't fall for job postings that offer to sell you a "secret" job list for federal government positions or U.S. Postal Service jobs. These types of jobs are free to search for and apply online; anyone charging a fee for this information is a scammer.

7. Work From Home

There are a lot of really good work from home opportunities posted on the internet.  Unfortunately, there are also potentially bad ones that job seekers will come across while looking for their next opportunity.  You should always be extremely cautious when finding a work from home position that requires you to pay a start-up fee or purchase instructions.  Little or no income will be generated through these positions.

8. Background Checks

If a recruiter claims the company needs you to pay for a credit report or background check before hiring you, don't fall for it. These scammers are only out for your money and personal information.

When you're already desperate to find a job, the last thing you want is to be taken advantage of by online scammers. During an online job search, pay close attention to the details of the posting. If a job sounds too good to be true, proceed cautiously, as it may be a job scam. Never provide personal details, such as your Social Security number or bank account information, to someone you haven't met.

 
Comment

Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.

Register
Sign In
  • Jayne W.
    Jayne W. •

    I recently had an email about a job that sounded too good to be true. Sure enough, when I Googled it, I found a whole discussion on how scammers were using a legitimate travel company's name to scam people into getting caught up in a money laundering scheme. Scary!

  • Kevin Williams
    Kevin Williams •

    Myra F. Have you looked at some of the spin off career paths that your main career could potentially lead you down? Like Project management, Process modeling or Six Sigma careers, ITIL Those areas because of the level of expertise required by each project tend to lend itself to to varied experience levels and more possibilities for you. Look at your schooling if you created flow charts for various processes it would be pretty easy to apply that skillset to business process management or manufacturing process modeling and logic.

  • Elyse H.
    Elyse H. •

    If it sounds too good to be true it is. I received a fake job scam offer with instructions to deposit 2 fake checks into my account. I contacted the FBI. They said to report them on the FBI website and destroy the checks. It was a mind opening experience. Beware.

  • Kevin Williams
    Kevin Williams •

    Dear Job search engines, If you know all the signs and techniques for these scams, then how is it possible for these scams to get by your screening? How is it possible for these people to get past your filters? Oh I know, they paying to post these jobs and a blind eye is turned in lieu of dollars spent? I mean these people do post a large number of fraudulent ads accross all search engines that would be a substantial amount of revenue and Im sure they dont get posted for free. There is a certain resposibility job boards have to ensure that what is being passed on to us is legitimate to the best of their knowlege. Sorry guys, you have to own this one.

  • Heather E.
    Heather E. •

    Even "reputable" Employment Agency's" are screwing with people. Fact! Spending hour upon hour jumping hoops taking tests (every six months) meeting to discuss qualifications, skills, and what compensation is required. They then will offer you the exact opposite and question your skill set! Hello! Not just one "reputable" but I can name 4 right this moment. In fact just had a call for a 24 hour a week position paying $14.00 hr for two months. That is a 3/4 cut in pay for me personallty and not once have I been offered a full time position period. Not to mention a two month commitment to them.

  • MANUEL O.
    MANUEL O. •

    In the last three months I got quiet a few of this scammers e-mails. Good advice. For Randall and Susan, please don't get frustrate about it. Before send any information do the proper homework, the internet provided us with the tools to do it.

  • Cia S.
    Cia S. •

    Excellent advise from above & all who commented! It really is sad so many of us honest, hard working people are out of work, struggling to find work, then to be scammed! It's a shame those scammers can't put all that energy into offering you a decent job, instead of ripping you off!!

  • Paulo Pedroso
    Paulo Pedroso •

    Here where I leave there are a few "consulting" companies over interested in scheduling an interview with you. Then they offer jobs on secret companies but you have to buy a hiring package that includes resume makeup, mailing list and interview consulting. In the contract they say they will do their job but no guarantee at all. About 20 years ago one of this companies made me drive 60 miles to hear this BS. at the end they sold me a psicho analysis that would be sent to the hiring company. Of course I got none.

  • Susan Mathis
    Susan Mathis •

    BS... It's the responsibility of such organization like Monster and Careerbuilder and Career Bliss and so many others....to CHECK THESE JOBS OUT FOR US. I am sick, sick, sick, of clicking on something that gives me hope, only to start getting phone calls to sell me something. Please own up to your own company's responsibility in making this STOP!

  • Richard W.
    Richard W. •

    I am literally shocked at what I'm hearing. I've probably been taken advantage of so many times that it's hard to figure out the genuine jobs. I will use some of the information given to track fraudulent jobs in the future. I never provide SS numbers except a few times in the past, Bank Accounts never. But I have a few times given my residential address, email, name & lastname, resume with my work experience. What do the scammers do with this info and how do they get paid. Most times, after receiving your resume they never respond to your emails or phone calls again. If that's what the want, what do they do with it.

  • Deborah T.
    Deborah T. •

    Yes I've seen lots of scams

  • RANDALL B.
    RANDALL B. •

    It seems, sadly, CareerBuilder and Monster are the main gateways to such scams. I deliberately used a different email for each site, and I almost immediately was inundated with emails for such scams, as well as the barrage of insurance company spam. It's bad enough when legitimate companies post fake jobs in an attempt to build their "benches" with no intention of hiring in the near future, but then having to also sift through often hundreds of bogus posts makes finding a decent job that much more challenging.

  • DONNA H.
    DONNA H. •

    There are simple rules: don't pay anything upfront, do your own due diligence and protect your personal information. These 3 rules have kept me from getting scamed recently. The offer sounded wonderful but when I asked for phone number to call them, they did everything except give me tht number. Then I looked them up, of course that company didnt exist

  • MICHAEL K.
    MICHAEL K. •

    You've missed a HUGE scam I've been encountering lately. You'll get an email saying a recruiter has jobs at desirable local employers. You click, you submit a resume, then you're asked to set up a phone interview (you set the time) to discuss the job. You then call at the appointed hour, and the whole discussion is about how you could improve your chances for a job by enrolling in one of those scam for-profit schools (and owing them thousands of dollars in "tuition"). When you say you want to talk about the job, the person on the other end keeps going back to educational opportunities, no matter how many times you say you're not interested. Jobvado is a major scammer of this ilk, so be forewarned.

  • Dallas S.
    Dallas S. •

    Great information. I joined FlexJobs in an effort to work part-time from home. As an Help Desk Support/IT Technician, I've known others that have done this before. I applied for a support position with a company called LiveOps. Which is basically just another recruiting firm within the FlexJobs arena. Long story, short... I got all the way through to the "background/credit check" part when they asked me to pay $65 for the process to be completed. In their defense, they were upfront about the process and stated their guidelines. Which were incredibly stringent for a minimum wage, telecommute job. I emailed them my rejection stating that I wasn't going to pay for my own background and credit check and take me off their list as a potential candidate. Three weeks later, I got three emails a week pestering me to pay for those checks.

  • Daniel W.
    Daniel W. •

    You pay a fee for the "stuffing envelopes at home" job. Then you get a form letter in the mail telling you to run an ad like one you answered and then send a pre-printed letter like the 1 you're reading to each person who sends you the money. ☺

  • Crystal C.
    Crystal C. •

    Thank you

  • Roishun H.
    Roishun H. •

    very helpful, thanx!

  • Nabil M.
    Nabil M. •

    So many of them out there that its hard to find the real Job!

  • Suzanne Z.
    Suzanne Z. •

    Thank you for the advise, but I am already really scanning job scams...they are easy to figure out. I ghave taken internet security course and has helped out too. Have a great day!

  • Anita K.
    Anita K. •

    Thanks, I have run into so many scams that I stopped looking for work from home jobs

  • joanne m.
    joanne m. •

    Thanks so much for information

  • June V.
    June V. •

    Great Information

  • Oyabi I.
    Oyabi I. •

    I got an email from a work at home company. When I researched the company, it has had issues with scamming shipping services. the shipping labels were fake. Be careful.

  • Carmen B.
    Carmen B. •

    The life insurance job can be a scam because it is how much you sell that is the only way you can get compensation and push insurance on people by going from door to door. Even ask people in the neighborhood and find out the insurance policy is not affordable for the person.

Jobs to Watch