Spotting a Job Scam

Whether you’re searching for baseball tickets online or looking for a job, there are unseemly individuals and groups out there looking to take advantage of your vulnerability, needs, and optimism with online scams. Everything from sending money grams to Nigeria to marrying men who are already married to eight other women, we’ve all seen profiles of scammers on 20/20 and the like, but we never ever think it will happen to them.

Better Business Bureau is helping job searchers spot scammers with this infographic profiling the top 10 scams of the year. The top scams they’re profiling are all about the job search. Take a look at the infographic below, but also consider these red flags when you’re job hunting:

• Almost no jobs in the world are offered without an interview. Don’t respond to immediate “you got the job” emails.
• Legitimate employers almost always have legitimate websites and legitimate email addresses. Question any email you get from a free email service like Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo. Most professional recruiters and hiring managers have emails from their employer.
• Asking for your social security number or any other personal information like your drivers license number, etc. will never come until the end of an employment interview process. Don’t give it out to the first people who ask. If they are legitimate, they’ll understand your concerns.
• Real businesses have phones, and transact at least some of their business using them. Don’t trust anyone who is 100% email based and refuses to have a phone call with you to discuss the opportunity.