There are numerous scams, pitfalls, and traps that target job seekers. Even though it seems counter-intuitive, people looking to make money can be seen as easy pickings for scam artists, especially if their job search has dragged on and desperation is setting in.

1) ID Theft

Beware of any job that seeks your private, personal information. Some information is standard for evaluating candidates; including listings of your past jobs & education. Other information, such as your social security number, can be useful for doing background checks, but probably shouldn't be given to an employer until after a job is offered in a face-to-face meeting. There is also a required form that authorizes companies to do a background check, which provides opportunities to correct any false information if the background check turns up information that keeps you from getting the job. If a company runs a background check without getting you to fill out the form first, they have violated your rights.

Some red flags include if the job listing asks for your previous residential addresses, your mother's maiden name, or your anniversary date - this information is rarely useful for background checks, but is necessary for opening checking accounts or guessing your passwords.

2) Advanced fee services

Legitimate temp firms & employment services are generally paid for their efforts by taking a portion of the pay for any jobs that they find you. It is far less common for employment companies to ask for money up-front in order to circulate your resume or arrange interviews. Many of the job finders that charge in advance are illegitimate. If they've already received payment from you, what incentive do they have to actually find you work?

There are also many services that are available for free which unscrupulous companies are happy to charge you for. One of the most common is the "Postal Employment Job Center" scam. Information about job openings with the U.S. government or U.S. Postal Service is free and available to everyone. It's also free to apply for these positions. Federal agencies and the U.S. Postal Service never charge application fees or guarantee that someone will be hired. Yet, if you check the classified ads, chances are that there's a posting right now offering to help you get a job with the USPS (for a fee).

3) "Jobs" that make you an accessory to a crime

One of the most common examples of this is the "money mule" scam. The position is often described as an 'account manager', 'funds collector', or 'client services'. The duties involve depositing checks from supposed customers and then wiring the funds to overseas accounts. As a sweetener, the scam artists often offer compensation in the form of keeping a percentage of each check deposited. Then they send you a bunch of bogus checks. If you do as instructed, when the checks bounce, the banks are going to want every dime back. As the person who made the deposit, you're on the hook, and you're also out all the money that was wired to the overseas accounts.

Another common scam is the "package forwarding" scam. Thieves with stolen credit card information often have difficulty using the accounts to place online orders to overseas destinations. They have started approaching job seekers to unknowingly do the dirty work for them. If you are offered a 'package concierge', 'international courier', or 'gift wrapping' job that involves receiving packages and re-mailing them to other addresses, it is likely that you've encountered this scam. When the fraud is eventually detected, the destination addresses will usually be out of the reach of law enforcement - but your door will be where police knock first.

4) Colleges that are trying to make money off of YOU

It may seem crazy to target people without money, but if you have GI Bill funds available or the ability to take out large loans for education, your current bank account balance doesn't matter.

Have you received a call from a job-placement service that strangely turned into a discussion about educational opportunities in your area? The "WN Positions" scam (and others like it) seeks to turn job seekers into prospects for online colleges and other for-profit schools. It starts with a phone call claiming to be from an employment agency or headhunter. During the biographical portion of the call (where they ask for your name, previous experience, and location), the caller asks about your level of education. The conversation takes a turn when they ask if you've ever considered going back to school or getting a certification to improve your job prospects.

These types of sales calls disguised as informational calls or surveys can be illegal. If you've received such calls, you may be able to take direct action in court to put the callers out of business and recover money for your wasted time.

If you've received calls like this, or run into any other scams targeting job seekers, I would love to hear your story! There's a contact link on the bottom of my Touchstone page:
George Morris