Job Hunt, Don't Lose Your Identity

If you're one of the thousands of Americans on the prowl for a job, you should be aware, you are a target for a sophisticated and particularly cruel con artist.

Richmond, VA - The Office of Consumer Affairs reports 87 consumer complaints about the companies Virginia Personnel, Inc. and New Beginnings, Inc. Both companies fraudualently extracted identifying and personal information from the "applicants." Some of the tactics they used that you should be aware of:

• Job Guarantees - the old saying still goes, if it sounds too good to be true...
• They actually sold "Employment Information" and never advertised a job position.
• Do not include any identifying, personal information on your resume. No need to put your SSN number on that document.
• Provide only your email address until a position is formerly offered and a start state is set.

Lynn Oaks of TrustedID says, "Only share information that will allow them to contact you to have a follow-up conversation." Also, check out the company before agreeing to anything. See if they have a legitimate website, read online reviews.

Biggest tip offs that you're working with a scam artist:

• Job offer with no background check
• No face-to-face interview
• No reference check

Be careful out there!

Read more...

Job Scams: Background Checks

In the current economic climate, the heat is turned up for those seeking jobs. As always, that means those seeking to take advantage are out of the woodwork.

"More families are becoming increasingly susceptible to suspect offers for employment as they try to find work in an extremely competitive job market,” said Mike Boynton, an Atlanta spokesman for the Better Business Bureau.

Job offers don't require an upfront fee. Ads were placed by a Florida company claiming it was looking to hire 2,500 employees for their new headquarters. Applicants had to submit $24 to pay for a background check.

Job placement or recruitment companies don't typically charge for services either. Some job placement companies, however, have been taking money from job hunters and not fulfilling their promises of quick employment.

Legitimate employers will need Social Security numbers for tax purposes and may need a bank account number to deposit paychecks for new employees. But job hunters should be wary of any requests for such information from companies and job offers that they have not vetted fully.

Read more...

Job Scams on the Rise

As the unemployment rate rises, job seekers are facing tougher and tougher competition. More than 1 million jobs alone have been cut this year. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) began receiving calls about a Texas company scamming job applicants.



Antonio Sillano (AKA: Allasondra Sillanogarry) allegedly made thousands of dollars by duping job applicants into paying for their own background investigation after being promised jobs that didn't exist. Hundreds of applicants were conned into paying the upfront fee of $80-$150.

After the fee was ponied up, the applicants never received word from the company's HR department, and the jobs never materialized.

Sillano first came under investigation in February 2007. The BBB had complaints on their reliability report since that time that they were unable to resolve. Sillano was arrested by Memphis police after advertising jobs there. Sillano is accused of identity theft and the Memphis police believe Sillano has operated under various aliases for some time.

The Better Business Bureau urges job seeks to keep a watchful eye out for scams. With the demand for jobs out there, it is safe to say we will see more of this type of behavior. Applicants shouldn't have to pay for their background investigations, the employers typically takes care of that. If you feel you are a victim of a scam, contact the credit bureaus and your own credit card company for further investigation.

Read more...