Ways to Spot a Job Scam
January 8, 2012 
19 Comments
For the unemployed, job scams are like a kick in the shins when you’re already down. Unfortunately, with thousands of resumes posted on job boards, chances are scammers will get a hold of your information from time to time.
It’s bound to happen — but don’t let it get you down.
At one time or another, every unemployed job seeker will suffer that terribly disappointing feeling of their heart dropping when they realize that the opportunity of lifetime is too good to be true.
There are commonalities among misleading and fake opportunities on the Internet. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of a scammer is to know what signs to look for.
Next time you receive a call from someone who wants to offer you a golden opportunity, keep the following in mind.
1. The one that offers “unlimited earning potential”
If a company or group is offering a chance for you to make an unlimited salary, chances are it’s a simple, cold calling job that is falsely advertised. If there’s no limit to how much you can make using their system and product, then it’s likely a straight-up commission job, and if you don’t sell then you won’t make a dime.
Warning Sign: If you’re not interested in a 100 percent sales commission job, then the term “unlimited earning potential” should be a sign for you to walk away.
2. The one where they will land you a job “or your money back”
This is an employment scam that involves so called “career help experts” who claim to provide a service that can help you find a job. If you take away anything from this article, let it be this: Legitimate recruiters do not charge candidates. The only people that should be charged via recruiting services are their clients who are looking for candidate. If you’re a job seeker, there’s no reason for you to pay anything forward.
Warning Signs: If a recruiter wants you to pay a fee as a job seeker, say “no thanks” and keep looking.
3. The one with “processing fees”
If any agency or company offers you work but says you need to pay some sort of processing fee, what you have there is a scam. Employers should not be charging you for drug tests, background checks or any other hiring-related expenses.
Warning Signs: If there is any type of hiring, application or process fee, something’s not right.
4. The one with “no experience necessary.”
These are typically work-at-home scams where you can earn large sums of money in short periods of time. Get-rich-quick types of jobs are generally scams.
Warning Signs: If the recruiter or hiring manager is ignoring your actual background and experience on your resume, then chances are it’s a scam. Always be skeptical of job advertisements where no experience is necessary.
In addition to keeping an eye out for the aforementioned signs, make sure you thoroughly research the company at hand in order to figure out whether or not it’s legit. Check official fraud reporting websites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Consumer Fraud Reporting to both learn more about the company or organization’s legitimacy and report a scammer.
Above all, trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right—it probably isn’t.
This article was contributed by CareerBliss, an online career community with millions of jobs, company reviews and salary information. CareerBliss is dedicated to helping everybody find happiness in the workplace.
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Categories: Career Advice, College Graduates, College Students, Job Hunting Strategies, Job Market
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Good advice. Thanks Bob.
Nicolas Liu recently posted..Boycott SOPA: There’s An (Android) App For That
I saw a ton of these scams when I was job hunting awhile back. Quite a few of them will claim to represent some major company. I got so sick of it I actually started contacting some of the major companies and tipping them off about what appeared to be scams claiming to represent them. All I ever got back from companies were emails saying such and such department has been notified and will look into it but they can’t disclose any further information. I doubt much was done about the scams, but I figured someone should let the companies know they’re being misrepresented.
I had no idea that this is as common as it apparently is… Great advice to avoid getting tricked into something like this!
It is a surprise that nonsense still works.
It’s easy to say that ‘there’s one born every minute’ but the scams are clever – and cruel- enough to take advantage of people at their most vulnerable moment, when they are seeking employment. Shame on them!
But as always, let the buyer beware…
Laura Sykes recently posted..Trollope, Thou Shouldst Be Living At This Hour!
In my experience, I make a note of skipping over job postings that cannot detail a starting salary range, nor ones where the employer/company is not on LinkedIn.
Rule number one! If it seems to good to be true… for you it likely is and that does not mean it isn’t 100% true.
Job seeking is what 16 years of schooling has provided people and no way to change. I have worked 100% commission jobs for most of my life. I cannot imagine trading my time for any other method. I do have people offering weekly something… I’ll look once their check clears.
Michael Eisbrener recently posted..What are Values and What are Yours?
Disappointing that there are those who will take advantage of jobseekers who are already in a difficult situation. Good warnings in the post!
Thanks for pointing out the red flags for scams. Job scams are like kicking someone when they’re down.
Karleen Harp recently posted..COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS – What Do They Really Mean?
I agree with Michael:
The general adage I live by is: “If it seems too good to be true” then it probably is”
I’ve definitely had an experience with one of those pyramid scam companies. They tend to spam job boards and use every single keyword in the book. They are easy to spot so I won’t go into details other than avoid using “entry level” in your search terms. Be wary of terms like “Face to face,” “student mentality,” “sports and entertainment” and always do your research on potential employers.
I had one experience where I lost 3 days of time before identifying that its a scam. Its always better to do some research.
I get calls at the Chamber from people checking out companies that want people to process orders for them. Since I process exporting orders for companies shipping all over the world from California with Certificates of Origin, I ask the caller, why would someone need them to do this?
They can come to me and and fill out a certificate of origin and ship anywhere in the world with the list of packaging.
It is a scam, if someone wants someone to repackage something, and needs their social security number.
Very useful article. Thanks for posting.
It’s unfortunate that people spend so much time trying to scam others. They should use the time and effort they put into scamming into doing something legitimate.
Stay At Home Brad recently posted..Broncos Beat Steelers 29-23 In Overtime of Wild Card Playoffs
what do you do about agencies advertising non-existent jobs only to get their books full?
My husband got suckered in a few years ago to work for a carpet cleaning business, you know, the ones that do 3 “free rooms”..it only took one day to see what they are all about. Worked 1/2 day and got paid $10..and that barely covered the gas. And this company did not care about their customers – all they wanted was money. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
I think you don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater here. Most people need more structure than a home based business provides, and would rather work for someone else and have a steady paycheck than work as hard as they need to work to get a legitimate home based business off the ground and really make money with it.
There are plenty of scams, but there are also plenty of direct sales companies that are NOT “get rich quick” or “pyramid schemes” where the right kind of go-getter can make a nice living.
Susan Critelli recently posted..Twitter Tip #5 – Remember, It’s a Conversation