Experts: Job Scams On The Rise This Summer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Experts say scam artists are busier than ever, now targeting people looking for jobs.
"It's very frustrating because you feel like, 'OK I can't believe that I fell for this scam,'" Shashauna Thomas told CBS2's Marc Liverman.
The scam came with a big price tag, costing her $279.
"I was like so angry I was in shock," said Thomas.
Thomas said, a couple months ago, she was applying for jobs online when she came across a company called Trinity Advancement Group. They called her in for an interview at a legitimate address on Wall Street. But at the interview, they asked her for cash.
"The pay was supposed to cover the initial application fee plus the first part of training," said Thomas.
She paid the amount, but said when she went back to the building less than a week later for training, the receptionist told her the company had moved out.
"She said that people had been coming back all week that week trying to report for training and they weren't there anymore," said Thomas.
There was no trace online for a legitimate website either.
It's a problem that's running rampant. In 2017 alone, there were more than 3,500 complaints nationwide to the Better Business Bureau.
Walter Brewster is the BBB's Senior Vice President of Operations and said there are things you can look for.
"You cannot be fooled by the appearances here," said Brewster. "This really is you can't judge a book by its cover. If somebody offers you a guarantee that there's a job, that's a red flag."
It doesn't always work, but try doing a search for the company online.
"You will find very often that you're not the only person involved in this," said Brewster. "These scams live off a lot of people, they have a lot of people who've been hurt, and that usually shows up on the web."
If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Brewster said it's rare for a legit company to ask for money up front.
Thomas said she did file a police complaint, but so far the money hasn't been recovered.
