Major retailers like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart are looking to bring in seasonal employees to deal with the rush of shoppers while delivery experts like UPS and FedEx are beefing up for deliveries.
The Better Business Bureau encourages job seekers to keep in mind that scammers are bulking up efforts in attempting online scams for holiday job hunters in order to steal people’s identities and money as well.
A recent email submitted to the BBB randomly solicits people who post resumes to online job search engines like snagajobs.com, monster.com, indeed.com, and jobfinder.com. While those resumes are placed for potential businesses to look at, scam artists can also view and use them.
“The holidays bring out many part-time job seekers, who may not be aware of precautions they need to take when looking for work online,” says BBB CEO Jane Driggs.
In this circumstance, the applicant posted to his resume at snagajobs.com. He was delighted to get a response but quickly questioned the validity of the inquiry.
“Your resume has been examined by our HR Department and we believe you are capable of handling the position,” the email begins. The only problem is that the applicant never filed a resume with Omnicare Company, which the BBB determined to be non-existent. In this case, the scammers used a name similar to a real business, Omnicare, Inc., which is a subsidiary of CVS Health Corporation.
Driggs says it’s vital for applicants to monitor where their information is posted and where they applied for positions. Offers from unfamiliar companies should be approached with caution, she says.
Here are seven tips for avoiding online scams for holiday job hunters.
Exercise caution
When using social networking sites and online employment sites, be sure to check the actual website of the company posting the position to verify that it actually exists.
Guard your resume
Some job seekers have uploaded their resumes online, but remember to make sure you only upload it for a legitimate purpose and company. Resumes often contain personal information, ripe for identity thieves.
Start with trust
BBB recommends that job seekers check out the company first at bbb.org and to apply through the actual company site whenever possible.
Never pay upfront fees
No legitimate job offer will require out-of-pocket expenses from a potential employee for background checks, credit reports. or administrative fees before an interview.
Protect personal information
Never provide social security number or birth date until you’ve verified a position’s legitimacy. Additionally, never give bank account information for direct deposit setup until you’re officially hired.
Be careful of the “perfect offer”
Job seekers should be cautious of any posting advertising extremely high pay for short hours or minimal required experience.
Avoid work-from-home offers
Most jobs that imply you can work from home or rake in cash are a ploy to trap you into giving away your credit card information, cashing fake checks, or paying for training that should be free. Job seekers should understand employees working from home generally go through the traditional in-person interviews and hiring process, require training at the business before being allowed to work at home, and often have prior experience in what they are doing, work for a salary, or have spent time and money developing the market for their work.
