Scammers are taking outdated ads from real employers, changing them, and posting them on employment websites and career-oriented platforms like Indeed or LinkedIn. The modified ads seem to be real job offers with legitimate companies. They’re not. In fact, their goal is to trick you into sharing personal information. So how do you know if you’re dealing with a scammer?
Know that some of the hijacked job postings are offers to work from home as a personal assistant or customer service representative. Then, they’ll ask you for information like your Social Security and your bank account number so they can (supposedly) deposit your salary. Sometimes, they say you got the job and send you a check to buy equipment that you have to cash (and send money to them). But these are scams.
Here are more ways to spot and avoid phony job postings:
- Verify job openings before you apply. Visit the official website for the organization or company you’re applying for. Most include a “career opportunities” or “jobs” section.
- See what others are saying. Look up the name of the company along with words like “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.” The results may include the experiences of others who’ve lost money.
- Never deposit a check from someone you don’t know. An honest employer will never send you a check and then tell you to send them part of the money. That’s a scam.
See a suspicious posting? Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and check out more advice to stay clear of job scams.
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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
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I was victim of such scam, where I lost $3,000. They send me a bad check, some of it was supposed to be my salary for a driving position. And the add was posted on Indeed.com.
I did report it to the Feds.
We thank you for informing the public.
In reply to I was victim of such scam,… by Ebrima Jobe
Yes, it happened to a friends of mine whose son thought he had gotten a wonderful job in Great Britain.
It was all totally fake fake fade !!!!!
You dont need to send money to make money or get a job. They said it was a British tax law
for foreign workers. They also wanted a finder's fee.
never send money.
Facebook is home for scammers and scams. They have reporting system that doesn't let you report. And if you report they disapprove your complaint. And let the scammers get another account.
In reply to Facebook is home for… by Jimmy Mayberry
One of the main reasons I disconnected from Facebook was the lack of protection from frauds, cons, and scammers.
good sssssssstuff
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