Better Business Bureau serving Canton Region and Greater West Virginia offers tips and advice for consumers to avoid fraudulent practices.
Recent layoffs in industries like the tech sector have scammers fine-tuning their approaches to take advantage. Whether you are looking for your first job or seeking a new gig, here is some advice to help you avoid job scams.
How the scam works
Scammers will go to great lengths to obtain your personal information, some by conducting fake online job interviews or setting up phony onboarding portals where they ask you for Social Security numbers and bank account information to (supposedly) deposit paychecks. In some cases, they may also ask you to send them money for equipment needed to begin remote work – with the promise to reimburse you for these expenses on your first paycheck, but BBB advises you to not fall for these tactics.
Another common ploy scammers use is to send the job seeker a message via email, text, or social media pretending to be the hiring manager or recruiter. The “recruiter” claims to have seen your resume online and expresses interest in setting up an interview. The scammer will then ask you to download a messaging app, like Telegram, to continue with the interview process.
Once the app is downloaded, the “recruiter” will send you a message and ask you to complete some questions. They will then offer you the position and send over a “contract” for you to fill out and sign. After signing, the scammer will ask…
