Job scams are on the rise. Watch out for these red flags

BRIAN ROACH EXPLAINS HOW THE SCAM WORKS . THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREA WUAS GETTING REPORTS OF A JOB. SCAM WITH A NEW TWIST. HERE’S H IOWT WORKS. YOU GET A MESSAGE THAT SOMEONE WANTS TO HIRE YOU AND THE SCAMMER THEN ASKS YOU TO DOWNADLO A MESSAGING APP SOMETHING LIKE TELEGRAM ONCE YOU DOWNLOAD THAT APP. YOU’RE ASKED A FEW INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND THEN OFFERED A JOB YOU GET AN OICFFIAL LOOKING CONTRACT ASSIGNED AND THEN THE CONTRACTOR ASKS YOU FOR YOUR NAME YOUR ADDRESS DATE OF BIRTH YOUR BANKING INFORMATION CLAIMING THAT THEY NEED ALL OF TH TISO ADD YOU TO THE DIRECT DEPOSIT PAYROLL AND OTHER COMPANY SYSTEMS. WELL SOME VERSIO ONSF SCAM DON’T ACTUALLY END RIGHT HERE THE SCAMMER THEN WANTS TO HELP YOU SET UP A HOME OFFICE. SO YOU GET A BIG CHECK AND AFTER DEPOSITING THAT CHECK YOUR COACNTT SAYS YOU WERE OVERPAID AND NOW YOU HAVE TO RETURN A PORTION OF THAT MONEY THAT YOU JUST DEPOSITED. OF COURSE, THE CHECK IS FAKE. THIS CAMERA’S GONE. YOU LOSE YOUR MONEY. HERE’S HOW TO AVOID THIS SCAM RESEARCH THE JOB OFFERS FIRST VISITED COMPANY’S WEBSITE AND LOOK LOOK UP THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION. VERIFY THE COMPANY ACTUALLY EXISTS AT THE JOB POSTING IS REAL BEFORE YOU INTERACT WITH A STRANGER BE AWARE OF JOBS THAT INVOLVE RECEIVING AND RETURNING MONEY ALWAYS A RED FLAG LEGITIMATE COMPANIES DON’T GENELLRAY SEND MONEY TO NEW EMPLOYEES BEFORE THEY DO ANY ACTUAL WORK AND BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION NEVER PROVIDE ANYONEIT WH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION UNTIL YOU ARE SURE THAT YOU CAN TRUST THEM WITH IT IF YOU CAN SPOT A SCAM YOU CAN STOP A SCAM. I’M

The strong labor market has given us near-record low unemployment, higher wages -- and an unfortunate uptick in the number of reports of job seekers getting scammed."We are definitely seeing job scams," said Rhonda Perkins, attorney and chief of staff of the Federal Trade Commission's division of marketing practices. In 2021, the agency received more than twice the number of job scam reports than in 2020, Perkins said. And in the first quarter of this year, there's been more than 16,000 complaints filed. Job scams have been around for a while and the tactics scammers use can vary. Some will try to gain access to your personal information, while others might solicit payments from you or hire you for an illegal task, such as reshipping luxury goods that were bought using stolen credit cards.Video above: Beware of job scams if you’re looking for workSo if you're looking for a job, here are some of the red flags experts say to look for when reviewing potential opportunities:The job post is flashy, but offers few details In a job seekers' market, employers are trying to stand out. But if a job posting is all about making money quickly or other big promises -- proceed with caution."If a job ad is using too-good-to-be-true terms like: 'quick money,' or 'unlimited earnings potential,' or 'laptop for free' and has very few skill requirements ... and a lot of caps and images to distract you, it just doesn't come across professionally," said Sara Sutton, CEO and founder of FlexJobs.If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a post, check to see if you can find the opening posted directly on the company's website.You have questions, but they don't have the answers Getting a call from a recruiter is flattering, but make sure they are who they say they are -- especially if it's for a job you didn't apply for."Pay attention to the questions they are asking you," said Sutton. "If the recruiter is offering you a job very quickly without verifying your work experience or asking for references and moving very, very quickly -- those are also red flags."If the job description was overly vague, be sure to ask for more details about the position, duty expectations and experience requirements."They will definitely run from you when you start asking more questions," said Sinem Buber, lead economist at ZipRecruiter. "If they start giving you inconsistent answers or not answering your questions properly, you know that's not a real job."Sutton added that scammers can fraudulently use a company's name and recommended to check the recruiter's email is legit. For instance, if the domain is "company-inc.com" versus "company.com," she advised looking online to see what the company uses. They ask for personal informationJob applications tend to include questions like your name, address, contact information and work experience, but it shouldn't go much deeper than that."If they are asking you to provide personal information upfront during the interview stages, like your Social Security number for a background check ... no legitimate company asks for a background check or Social Security number during the interview stage. That happens after you are hired," said Buber.Before giving out any personal information, Perkins recommended doing some online research. "Look up the name of the company, the person who claims to be hiring you, plus the word 'scam,' 'review,' or 'complaint'... and don't trust reviews on the company's website. Those could be fake."They ask for payment The only conversation you should be having with a potential employer about money should be about compensation. If they ask you to pay any fees for things like special services, training or software or equipment, that should be a major red flag."Don't pay for the promise of a job, don't make an upfront payment to get a job -- only scammers will ask you to do that," said Perkins.There's also a fake check scam that can involve a bogus company sending you too large a check for you to buy something like computer equipment and then asks you to repay the excess funds via a wire transfer service, cryptocurrency or gift cards.These forms of sending money are hard for law enforcement to trace and people to get their money back, Perkins explained."Under the law, banks are required to make the money available quickly, so when you deposit a check and it looks like it's cleared that doesn't mean it's a good check," said Perkins. "The bank will find out later it's a bad check."

The strong labor market has given us near-record low unemployment, higher wages -- and an unfortunate uptick in the number of reports of job seekers getting scammed.

"We are definitely seeing job scams," said Rhonda Perkins, attorney and chief of staff of the Federal Trade Commission's division of marketing practices. In 2021, the agency received more than twice the number of job scam reports than in 2020, Perkins said. And in the first quarter of this year, there's been more than 16,000 complaints filed.

Job scams have been around for a while and the tactics scammers use can vary. Some will try to gain access to your personal information, while others might solicit payments from you or hire you for an illegal task, such as reshipping luxury goods that were bought using stolen credit cards.

Video above: Beware of job scams if you’re looking for work

So if you're looking for a job, here are some of the red flags experts say to look for when reviewing potential opportunities:

The job post is flashy, but offers few details

In a job seekers' market, employers are trying to stand out. But if a job posting is all about making money quickly or other big promises -- proceed with caution.

"If a job ad is using too-good-to-be-true terms like: 'quick money,' or 'unlimited earnings potential,' or 'laptop for free' and has very few skill requirements ... and a lot of caps and images to distract you, it just doesn't come across professionally," said Sara Sutton, CEO and founder of FlexJobs.

If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a post, check to see if you can find the opening posted directly on the company's website.

You have questions, but they don't have the answers

Getting a call from a recruiter is flattering, but make sure they are who they say they are -- especially if it's for a job you didn't apply for.

"Pay attention to the questions they are asking you," said Sutton. "If the recruiter is offering you a job very quickly without verifying your work experience or asking for references and moving very, very quickly -- those are also red flags."

If the job description was overly vague, be sure to ask for more details about the position, duty expectations and experience requirements.

"They will definitely run from you when you start asking more questions," said Sinem Buber, lead economist at ZipRecruiter. "If they start giving you inconsistent answers or not answering your questions properly, you know that's not a real job."

Sutton added that scammers can fraudulently use a company's name and recommended to check the recruiter's email is legit. For instance, if the domain is "company-inc.com" versus "company.com," she advised looking online to see what the company uses.

They ask for personal information

Job applications tend to include questions like your name, address, contact information and work experience, but it shouldn't go much deeper than that.

"If they are asking you to provide personal information upfront during the interview stages, like your Social Security number for a background check ... no legitimate company asks for a background check or Social Security number during the interview stage. That happens after you are hired," said Buber.

Before giving out any personal information, Perkins recommended doing some online research. "Look up the name of the company, the person who claims to be hiring you, plus the word 'scam,' 'review,' or 'complaint'... and don't trust reviews on the company's website. Those could be fake."

They ask for payment

The only conversation you should be having with a potential employer about money should be about compensation. If they ask you to pay any fees for things like special services, training or software or equipment, that should be a major red flag.

"Don't pay for the promise of a job, don't make an upfront payment to get a job -- only scammers will ask you to do that," said Perkins.

There's also a fake check scam that can involve a bogus company sending you too large a check for you to buy something like computer equipment and then asks you to repay the excess funds via a wire transfer service, cryptocurrency or gift cards.

These forms of sending money are hard for law enforcement to trace and people to get their money back, Perkins explained.

"Under the law, banks are required to make the money available quickly, so when you deposit a check and it looks like it's cleared that doesn't mean it's a good check," said Perkins. "The bank will find out later it's a bad check."

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