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Whether full-time or part-time, work-from-home jobs are still in high demand, especially as more companies ask workers to return to the office in 2023.
Unfortunately, scammers notice.
If you search popular job sites, the Federal Trade Commission urges caution.
Tracy Bickel landed her dream job a few weeks ago, working remotely for a biotech company based in Ireland.
She had posted her resume on a job site.
“I got a personal text and that’s how it started,” she said
After answering some questions in a text interview with their specialist, she got the job as a patient liaison.
“I would stand between the patients and the company itself,” she said.
The company sends her a text message with a link to a contract, and she signs it online, providing her social security number and all of her personal information.
Almost immediately, she was sent a check for almost $5,000 to buy a computer and get started. She was excited, but everything changed when she went to the bank.
“The bank said it was a scam,” she said. “They don’t believe this company exists.
It was all a hoax. The biotech company is real, but the “recruiter” who contacted it doesn’t actually work for the company.
Her dream was gone and a con artist had her social security number.
Warning signs of a telecommuting scam
With recent layoffs in the tech industry, the FTC has warned that scammers are going to great lengths to obtain job seekers’ personal information.
The FTC says it will:
- Create fake websites, often copying a legitimate company’s website
- Conduct mock job interviews, usually via text message or email
- Set up fake recruitment portals
Tony Frana of FlexJobs notes that scammers can be very persuasive.
“It’s not even a real job, but it will entice people to apply,” she said.
Franna says the first red flag for any telecommuting scam is receiving a message via social media or an instant messaging app like Telegram or WhatsApp.
She says real business should only come from company accounts.
“Legitimate companies will email job seekers and applicants from a company email address,” Frana said.
More red flags:
- Grammar mistakes
- Immediate job offer
- Cash advance request
- Sending a large check before starting work
Frana says when applying for a remote job, ask for a face-to-face interview. If the company refuses, that’s a red flag.
“It might not be in person, but you definitely want to be able to have a verbal conversation, whether it’s on the phone, over Zoom with video,” she said.
A recent survey by FlexJobs found that 65 percent of people would like to work remotely full-time.
But be careful because this dream company may be fake even if it says all the right things.
“They looked perfectly legitimate,” Bickel said. “They had crossed all their T’s and dotted all their I’s. It’s amazing.”
So vet each potential employer carefully and be suspicious of chat or text interviews so you don’t waste your money.
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“Don’t Waste Your Money” is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. (“Scripps”).
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For more consumer news and money saving tips, visit www.dontwasteyourmoney.com
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