Experts Offer Advice to Avoid Online Job Fraud
Be forewarned. Respected jobsite FlexJobs, which checks its postings, cautions when applying for remote work at other sites: “Reports say there are 60-70 job scams for every one legitimate work-from-home job.”
Stated another way: 98% to 99% of those at-home then might be scams.
Compare those numbers with another FlexJobs 2017 stat reported by WomansDay.com that “… remote job listings increased 52 percent in the last two years.“
Combined, they create an eerie equation, which is: Increased opportunity = more opportunists. So take heed.
Scammers sometimes use Working Solutions’ good name to fool unsuspecting job applicants. Recently, we’ve seen such trickery done with fake Facebook accounts and persons claiming to be recruiting agents.
Above are some example messages sent by scammers.
Use Caution When Applying
At Working Solutions, we strive to safeguard against such fraud and job seekers should protect themselves as well.
To thwart online scams, it’s wise to follow precautions recommended by work-from-home experts, including well-established Rat Race Rebellion and FlexJobs. They know the ploys that con artists ply in their schemes.
For instance, Rat Race Rebellion outlines eight tip-offs for bogus remote jobs offers, including:
- Company contact uses a non-corporate email – “… on the whole, legitimate employers have corporate email accounts.” Scammers don’t.
- Big bucks are offered for low-level jobs – “…when they emphasize “No Experience Necessary!”—you’re almost certainly in scamtown.”
On its site, FlexJobs states it hand-screens companies and jobs before posting them. Recently, it ran a blog warning about job-search scams, identifying nine of them. One example is online shipping, where work-from-homers are duped into forwarding stolen property.
Check Out Glassdoor Jobsite
Consumer website Clark.com advises applicants to guard against cons, such as phony job offers: “The problem is that there are many ripoff work-from-home outfits that claim to find you jobs for an upfront fee. They’re just trying to make a quick buck off you.”
Like Rat Race Rebellion and FlexJobs, Clark.com also lists “legitimate work-from-opportunities,” including Amazon Flex, UpWork.com and Working Solutions.
Glassdoor is a respected jobsite, with reviews from employees and contractors of companies. The site constantly checks its postings and removes jobs that appear fake. Even with this diligence, Glassdoor warns job seekers “…fraudulent job postings can appear, and we suggest you use caution in your job search.”
Example of private Facebook messages from scammer.
Never Give Out Financial Data
If you encounter something suspicious applying for a Working Solutions’ opportunity, please email Gail Rigler, chief marketing officer, at grigler@workingsol.com. Share with her the details, including the company’s name, ad and link where the job originated.
Always remember, Working Solutions never asks for:
- Credit card data
- Banking information
- Application fees
- Credit scores
And if you’re fooled by a phony application or job offer, contact the Federal Trade Commission’s Complaint Assistant or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Remember, working remotely doesn’t mean you’re ever alone. There are trusted resources out there to help, if you think you’ve been had.
