What you need to know about job scams

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Job scams are, unfortunately, pretty common. When out of a job, many people anxiously look for ways to make money in order to stay afloat until the job market picks back up and scammers know it.

Scammers want to profit off YOU

Sadly, scammers strive to profit off the hardship of others by capitalizing on another person’s misery. These schemers take advantage of those feeling down and out through using techniques to prey on their vulnerabilities in order to line their own pocketbooks from profiting by using carefully designed bait. Many of these schemes use the Internet in order to trap and lure victims.

If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably a scam

One of the biggest job scams around involves posting ads that promise fast and easy ways to earn money. With this tactic, it a schemer’s hope those in a susceptible financial position will leap at their fraudulent opportunities. These promises seldom, if ever, deliver results. Additionally, those who fall victim to these scams often end up losing significant amounts of money.

People who come across any such job advertisements should take warning and be on the watch for fake money making opportunities. The con artists are slick and their promises sound good. However, in the end, these “opportunities” lead nowhere. One of the common tactics involved in this type of scheme is soliciting money in order to receive a ‘packet’, supplies, training materials, or other preparatory items which will either provide income or lead to a job. Once the money is received, the scammers typically make a promise they will deliver, but the problem is the opportunities usually do not pan out.

Other top job-related scams

• Envelope stuffing schemes
• Promises of employment with federal government
• Apply for government grants scams
• Work from home assembling crafts schemes
• Rebate processing scams
• Online search scams
• Medical billing scams
• Pre-screened lists of jobs fraud
• Mystery shopper scams
• Money laundering scams
• Fraudulent ads targeting military veterans
• Schemes involving cashing checks and getting paid up-front

It is important job seekers be very wary of any ads, and anyone who asks for money upfront or credit card information is more than likely running a scam.

While being unemployed is a very difficult and scary situation, it is important to try and keep a clear head in regards to potential job scams and steer clear of anything that offers results that are too promising.

Be careful not to reach for any of these fake carrots. Nothing is ever a guarantee and with "too good to be true" offers, there is usually a high level of risk. Many of these offers sound like terrific opportunities but keep in mind they are carefully designed to sound attractive.