The recession has left many people looking for new or better jobs. However, it has also given rise to many scams designed to take advantage of those job-seekers.
Because of their enthusiasm for finding a new job, it’s often easy for a job-seeker to overlook the warning signs of a job-search scam. The jobs offering unrealistic pay for two days work are easy to spot but, in the age of the Internet, con-artists have gotten a lot more advanced and job-seekers need to keep their guard up at all times.
Remember to take note of return email address domains, such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail and remember that most legitimate employers and placement firms will use an email address from their company’s domain. Job-seekers should also be on the lookout for any firm or recruiter asking for personal information, social security numbers or financial information up-front.
You should also practice caution when choosing a job placement firm. While it’s not uncommon for job-search firms to charge a fee, make sure you meet with them in person and have a full understanding of what you’re paying for before you spend your hard earned money. Never provide money or sensitive information without a face-to-face meeting.
In addition, just as reputable employers will do their research on you beforehand, you should do your own background check on any potential job opportunity. The Internet makes it easy to research businesses, email addresses, and phone numbers and, if a Google search turns up the same, once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity associated with a given company, email, or phone number in several cities over several months then, odds are, that’s a scam.
Finally, don’t forget to practice common sense. Remember that, no matter how much you might want a new job, if an offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true.
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