Scammers target job seekers with phony job offers

Reporter: Lindsey Sablan
Published: Updated:

FORT MYERS, Fla. Job seekers routinely trust hiring officials with personal information, presenting an opportunity for scammers to take advantage.

Some are impersonating hiring officials online in an attempt to steal the identity of unsuspecting applicants, according to Carrie Kerskie, director of the Hodges University Identity Fraud Institute.

“It could appear to be from a major, well-known organization and it could be for a job that maybe they do have posted on their website,” Kerskie said.

Applicants should be suspicious, according to Kerskie, if:

  • They haven’t applied for a position and receive a call from the company.
  • They get a job without ever having met the employer.
  • The money for the amount of work being done seems too good to be true.
  • The company asks for confidential information

Kerskie also recommends job seekers look up the address and number for the company and ask to speak to the person they’ve been communicating with online.

 

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