The number of job scams reported to the Federal Trade Commission has ballooned in recent years — from 7,324 in the third quarter of 2020 to 21,848 a year later.
Though job sites such as LinkedIn and Indeed say they use a combination of sophisticated technology and human reviewers to weed out millions of fake listings, many scammers’ techniques continue to elude detection. Here are some tips to make sure the position and company to which you’re applying are real.
Go beyond the job search site
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Verify job openings through the organization or company’s official website. Most companies will have a “Jobs” or “Careers” page.
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Look up the name of the company with words such as “scam,” “review” or “complaint” to see if others have been scammed by them in the past.
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Look up the company on Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit organization that vets businesses.
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Call the company and ask to speak to someone about the details of the position.
Red flags to watch out for during the application process
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You’re asked to pay for the job opportunity in some way. For instance, you receive a request to pay for a company-specific certification, or you’re asked to “reformat” your resume on a website that then requests payment for the service.
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Your contact wants your Social Security…
