When you're seeking employment, especially if you're using online job search sites, you need to take a few precautions to make sure you're dealing with legitimate employers rather than with scammers. Fortunately, the guidelines for things to avoid and things to watch out for are very clear-cut. Take a look at some of the things you should never do while looking for a job.
Things to Avoid
When you've been offered a job, one of the issues that comes up is how you're going to be paid. Some scammers try various tricks to get access to your bank account. To avoid being scammed in this way, never agree to give out your personal bank account numbers to a new employer. Don't give out your credit card numbers or any information about your PayPal account.
Some scams involve asking you to transfer money through your own bank account. In these scams, which are usually illegal because they involve laundering money, you're typically asked to transfer or wire money to your employer or to another entity, retaining part as your own payment. Avoid any prospective "employer" who asks you to do anything like this. Don't even allow direct deposit of your paycheck if you don't know everything you need to know to prove that your employer is legitimate.
Never give out your personal identification information. No legitimate employer needs your Social Security number before you've been hired. No real employer needs to scan your drivers license or other ID. This applies to international employers as well; one scam involves asking people to send scans of their passports. If you're asked to do this, realize you're dealing with a scammer.
Red Flags When Seeking Employment
Various red flags can warn you away from scams when you're seeking employment. Watch out for people who offer you jobs without meeting you in person. This includes job recruiters who claim to be contacting you from out of state. If you are indeed involved in an interstate move, use caution in job seeking and try to meet people in person as much as possible.
Pay attention to all email communications when you're seeking a job. Check email addresses to make sure they're really coming from an actual company. Watch out for email addresses with domain names such as Gmail, Yahoo or other standard email carriers. A legitimate business should be using its own domain name.
In addition, look for odd language usage in emails as well as job postings or ads. If an ad reads as if it wasn't written by a native speaker of English, that's a red flag. Grammatical mistakes also wave a red flag, as do logos that don't quite match those you find on the company website.
Job scams are on the increase, and some of them are impressive in their complexity. Remember that if a job seems too good to be true, it's likely not true at all, and take care to watch out for the red flags that can steer you away from scammers.
Photo Courtesy of Kevin Harber at Flickr.com
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