Seasonal scams will put a damper on XMAS for some job seekers
Posted by Rosemary Brkopac on Tue, Nov 01, 2011
Over the past few weeks we have seen a spike in the posting of
fake online employment listings. The positions claimed to be available have run the gamut, from administrative assistant, to stocker, to docker, and many more. The locations spanned across the U.S.A., from the Space Coast to San Francisco to Seattle, and on to Salem.
One recent scam worked as follows: A number of fake job postings were made on a very popular website featuring free online classified advertisements. The “hiring company” name was not identified in the ads. When an applicant applied for a position they received a response from a spoofed email address which looked like it came from a major employer. The communication indicated the applicant has been hired on the spot, without an interview. The justification made was “we are staffing very aggressively, and are prepared to make you a firm employment offer. Typically we conduct multiple in-person interviews with each candidate. However, due to increased staffing needs, we have greatly expedited the hiring process.” I hope if you received such a response your suspicions would be aroused immediately!
The scam artist went on, boldly saying “One of the main ways we have expedited our hiring process is by streamlining the payroll into a fast, easy, electronic system, versus the old-fashioned paper check method. The way it works is that you will be assigned your choice of a Visa or MasterCard, completely free of charge and without credit check, into which we will deposit your weekly earnings. Not only does this method result in employees getting paid faster, it also functions as a form of citizenship verification; as stated in the ad you must be qualified to work in the US for any employer. Please note that even if you already have a bank account, Visa, or MasterCard, we will still need you to complete your payroll profile using the link below, which is assigned to you. If you simply prefer paper checks, ask your manager and he or she will accommodate you. Regardless, it is a requirement for all employees to register for the online payroll program for citizenship verification purposes.” Wow, at this point I hope you would be hitting the delete button!
Needless to say, the company who was supposed to be doing all this hiring was not behind the job postings. Anyone who did provide highly sensitive information to the scam artist would become the victim of fraud. Our client, who can be considered a victim of the scam as well, received a number of inquiries from applicants who wanted to verify the employment of the “Senior Staffing Coordinator” who contacted them with the job offer. Of course, BrandProtect stepped in and put a kibosh on this fraud.
Employment scams are perpetrated every day. Right now we are working on a scam where applicants are receiving a “background check request form” asking that personal information such as Social Security number and birth date be provided. Know that our clients, and other reputable employers, will never ask you to provide sensitive personal information over the internet. Lots of people are desperate for employment, and the unscrupulous are ready to exploit their vulnerability. As the holidays approach you can be sure that many more of these scams will crop up, so if you are looking for employment please be vigilant.