Lancaster woman warns job seekers after almost falling for employment scam
FORT WORTH - After four years of retirement, Shirley Delk was ready to get back into the job market. She used to be a remote IT specialist, so that's what she searched for online.
"I applied on a Sunday night," Delk said, "And the next morning, I got an email from someone telling me, 'okay, we like your profile and we're going to let you talk to the hiring manager."
The company was Santex Construction, a business Delk thought was based in the Houston area, but right away she spotted red flags. Delk said she was hired the same day by someone who gave her a vague job description and told her a check was already in the mail. "They would send me money to purchase my equipment, my computer, printer, anything that I needed."
The next day, less than 48 hours after she had applied, a check for $6,800 arrived at her door. Delk was told to deposit it and call back for more instructions. "And I said, okay if I do that, what about my W-4? And he said, 'okay, well you'll get all your documents after that,'" Delk recalled. "So, that's when I knew it was a scam."
According to the Better Business Bureau, employment scams are extremely common in North Texas. The agency says it has received hundreds of reports fromt the DFW area this year.
"Employment scams are attractive to the con artists because, if you think about it, one of the first things you give up to your employer is your sensitive information," said Monica Horton, a BBB spokesperson.
She says while the company may be real, that doesn't mean the job is. She suggests looking up the company on your own and calling the HR department to see if the job exists and is vacant.
Delk agrees.
"You're so excited, you just got all this adrenalie going, and you don't have time to really think," she said. "Be very careful, and if it sounds too good to be true, it is not true."