Avoiding Job Scams
At a time when we are so heavily dependent on technology, we are allĀ at increased risk for predatory Internet behavior and email scams. These scams take various formats, such as check-deposit schemes, fraudulent job opportunities to earn money from home, and appeals to help others in distress. Please read the sections below and be cautious in your job search. For more information be sure to also visit our Blog.
Avoiding Scams
- Avoid “get rich fast” schemes or listings that provide high income for part time or no work at all.
- Do not send money to employers as part of the application process.
- Do not send money to employers to purchase kits/software that may be required for the job.
- Be wary of jobs that require little to no experience at all.
- Avoid jobs that do not require a formal interview process or no interview at all.
- Do not engage in text-only interviews.
- Consider the source of the job, especially if someone contacts you without you having applied for the job.
- Avoid conversations with recruiters/persons who have unclear identities and contact information.
- Check that the contact information of the employer/recruiter matches who they say they work for. Be especially wary of emails coming from non-business email accounts (Gmail, etc.).
- Be wary of unprofessional emails that contain punctuation/grammar errors.
- Check that the business has a website and the email of the person you’re corresponding with is coming from the same domain (eg. “business.com” domain, “@business.com” email address).
- Avoid jobs that prioritize urgency over qualifications, requiring you to start right away with no questions asked.
- Search the exact message that was sent out or the email address it came from and check if anyone else reported it as a scam.
- Be careful of online forms requesting personal information as part of the application process. Check that the form is located on the business website of the employer requesting the information.
Protecting Your Personal Information
- Do not share any of the following information as part of the application process: social security number, birth date, bank account number, credit card number or any other state/federally issued ID number (passport, driver’s license, etc.)
- Do not share any information that might be used to guess answers to security questions like: mother’s maiden name, city you were born, favorite color, first school you attended, etc.
- Do not register for seemingly legitimate job sites that ask for a lot of personal information to simply access the site. The only necessary information should be a user name and a password.