According to the bureau, there was a 130 per cent increase in 2021 of young adults losing money and personal information to what they believed was a legit employment opportunity.
With hundreds of thousands of high school, college and university graduates heading towards a new chapter of their lives, some scammers are eager to take advantage of their lack of real-world experience.
“Last year we saw a 130 per cent increase in how much young adults were losing to employment scams,” says Simone Lis, President and CEO of BBB Serving Mainland BC.
“As we enter into a post-pandemic summer where employers are eagerly looking for new talent, we encourage recent graduates to ensure they’re staying alert as they head into the professional workforce.”
Scammers often offer high-paying, easy, or entry-level jobs when conducting employment scams.
They’re skilled at drawing people in by promoting unrealistic wages for generalized job positions, such as virtual assistant or customer service rep.
Once ‘hired’, the employee may be asked to provide personal information, including your bank account details and Social Insurance Number (SIN) under the premise of setting up your direct deposit and employment file.
In some cases, they may even state that the potential new employee must cover the costs of training or equipment needed for their new position.
The third common scam is ‘accidentally’ sending an overpayment and subsequently asking to have the extra funds sent…
