RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — We’re getting into the time of year when people are looking for a second job to help pay those anticipated holiday bills, but they need to avoid scammers who are pretending to be seasonal employers.
The holiday season can bring joy and delight, but sometimes the gifts we give can be more expensive than we anticipated, so a lot of people are trying to make sure they don’t go into debt when it comes time to pay for them.
The job website Indeed has more than 2,900 seasonal jobs listed as available here in North Carolina right now and that’s a lot of opportunities.
However, seasonal employment is also an opportunity for scammers.
The Better Business Bureau studied job scams, saying criminals target the 25-to-34 age group the most.
“BBB estimates there are 14 million victims of employment scams with a total loss of about $2 billion,” said Nick Hill of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina.
Scammers frequent the online world and will often approach their victims that way.
To protect yourself, experts advise creating a special email account used only for job searches.
“That way you aren’t giving out too much personal information and not giving out your personal email,” said Hill.
You should also set up a separate bank so that whomever you are dealing with does not have access to your primary source of money.
If dealing with an online employer, you need to make sure you…
