Sometimes, scammers want to steal all the money from your bank account or try to sell you something that doesn’t exist or isn’t useful. In other cases, the scammers will get you to help them with illegal things like receiving stolen money or property, or money laundering. This puts you in even more danger if you get caught.
Scammers are everywhere these days. Here are some common places you might find fake job offers:
- Social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. Scammers make fake posts advertising jobs.
- Emails pretending to be from people you know or from employers. The emails want you to click links or share personal info.
- Fake versions of real job sites or employer websites. The scammers copy the real sites to trick you.
- Made-up websites that look like they are for real companies but aren’t.
Watch out for these nine signs that a job offer might be a scam:
- You have to pay for supplies or training. Legit jobs don’t make you pay for anything.
- No experience is needed. Real jobs require some skills – if they say anyone can do it, be suspicious.
- The pay sounds too good to be true for the amount of work. Scam jobs promise big money for little effort.
- A real interview isn’t required. They might do a quick fake interview on video chat but won’t meet you in person.
- They claim to find your old resume on a site you never used to apply for a job you didn’t apply for.
- The employer’s identity is unclear. They can’t find information about them online or pretend to be a famous company when they aren’t.
- Only job listings or warnings come up when you search for them online. Real companies have proper websites.
- They really need to hire you right away without much discussion. Legit jobs don’t rush important decisions.
- They ask for private info like your SSN or bank details before you’re hired. Real employers don’t need that until after you’re hired.
Always be careful sharing any personal info online. Protect your identity and don’t fall for fake job offers – it could cost you big time! Take your time to research any opportunity before you get involved.
