Avoiding Scams For Job Seekers
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The good news is that companies are reporting growth in hiring. The bad news, scams ensnare unwitting job seekers.
A job recruiter in Matawan, New Jersey, was horrified when she received a complaint from a candidate who was suspicious because he'd been asked for money by the recruiter but never got the promised job opening. The recruiter, who was legitimate, realized that her name and email had been used by a scammer.
If you are seeking a job, you should never need to give your bank information or social security number out off the bat, and be very wary if you're asked for it in the application or an online posting. That's information you'll give an actual employer at the start of employment not at the application stage.
Of course, as the Matawan job seeker learned, verify the identity of a recruiter who asks for money. Look for misspellings or grammatical errors in the ad, which are tip offs that they aren't legitimate.
If you are responding to an online ad, be wary if the contact address for the job isn't from a primary domain - if, for example, you respond to johnsmith@aol.com instead of johnsmith@thecompany.com.
And if you're wary, ask to visit the company before giving any information.
