The best way to avoid job scams is to recognize these job scams. The premise behind job scams is simple: We all want our job hunting to be easy breezy. The most common job scam right now is 'work from home' scams (more on this below). What better than making a tidy living sitting on the sofa at your home?
The cliche, 'nothing good ever came from haste or shortcuts' is true for victims of job scams. They lose their money (they also run big charges on your credit card, ruining your credit score), their identity (Social Security Number, Credit card etc) is stolen and misused (they spam other people from your email account) and then they can fall into trouble with the government (tax, shipping stolen/counterfeit items, and other kinds of law-breaking etc.), while the perpetrators are running scot free.
Typical job scam claims:
'No experience is necessary!'
'Respond immediately!'
'The job is very easy to do.'
'Job interviews are not required.'
Press 'delete' or 'spam' whenever you come across these claims.
Typical job scam features:
- They only contact via email
- They need you to start immediately, starting today!
- Information they need from you to bring success to you: Social Security Number, bank account number, credit card number, and/or other personal financial information.
The best response to job scam ads when they get in touch
- When asked for financial information, tell them to send you a check, at least initially.
Also: Always Google these employers and the great jobs they have for you.
So, here are the main kinds of job scams. Many of them are online job scams.
1. Work from Home Jobs
This comes in great variety, the most common being stuffing envelopes, doing data entry on your computer, taking surveys etc. To get these jobs, you have to provide personal information (ID, credit cards etc) and give upfront payment.
2. Money Transfer/Payment Rep Jobs
This is Nigeria's gift to the world. Typically, a huge payment is due and due to some technical reason they can't use their own bank account, and need to route the money through your account, so please give us your banking username, password etc.
3. Re-Shipment Jobs
Also a variation on Nigerian scams. For some reason they cannot get items shipped directly to them, only you can do it. Just accept the item for them and re-ship to their customers around the world.
4. Pay-to-Play Jobs
A connier version of the MLM (multi-level marketing) scams. To get that great job, you first have to spend money on expensive/useless inventory and equipment or training materials.
5. Pay for Access to 'Undisclosed' Government Jobs
You got to give them a fee to know about hidden jobs in the U.S. Federal Government or the US Post Office/
6. The MLM (multilevel marketing) ads
These ads will say things like 'not a job, but an opportunity'. Or, Be your own boss with unlimited earning potential, Earn $5,000 a month working from home!
And if you end up attending the 'interview', you will find yourself being pitched instead of an interview, and now is the time to run.
Other times, they will say the 'job' involves recruiting a 'team' more than selling a product or service.
Tip: Delete jobs having these phrases (set up filters in your email if you get too many of these)
Vector Marketing
Work from Home
Earn big bucks
Be your own boss
Networking Sales
Have you always dreamed of...
Make $10,000 a month from home and only work 15 minutes a day! We just need a $50 application fee and visit our credit check website!
Cutco knife (sellers of overpriced knives, promising to give you 50% commissions.)
A better way to hunt for jobs: The information is out there, including in this guide. There are no short cuts, people.
A Quick Guide To Scam Job Ads On Craigslist
- Avoid any Craigslist job ad having:
All caps in job ad title
Dollar signs ($) in title
“Call today'
“No experience necessary'
“Make money fast'
“No ____ needed'
As a general rule: Avoid any job ad sounding too good to be true - e.g. 'make a 100K from home part time'
- Avoid all job ads requiring you to pay before applying
This scammy ads are common in the creative industry - writing, graphic designing, web designing etc. Even after paying, you will only get poor jobs with poor pay.
- Avoid sales jobs promising very high commissions
Many of these fake sales jobs will also call people for group jobs interviews, hoping to snare lots of desperate at one go - spinning the interviews as training, offering extremely little pay and fantastic commissions.
These ads also lie about great 'base pay', which is basically the fantastic commissions they have been promising, nothing else.
Thank you for reading.
This guide is from The Success Manual, which contains 200+ guides to succeeding in business, career and personal life. Get the pdf ebook for $12 only.