As for a job, the college senior recently got hired at the Gap clothing store in Davis. She landed her $11-an-hour job by applying directly on the store’s website, followed by a face-to-face interview. From now on, she says, unless they first meet in person, “I’m going to avoid communicating through email with employers.”
Online job scams: Typical red flags
Work-from-home or virtual job offers often sound tempting, but they could be so-called “payment forwarding” or “payment transfer” scams. That’s when a seemingly legitimate company lures job seekers into depositing a check into a personal account, then forwarding the funds to a third party. The checks then bounce, leaving the victim on the financial hook.
Be wary if a job ad:
• Requests your bank account, Social Security, PayPal, or credit card number.
• Asks to “verify your identity” by scanning your driver’s license or other ID.
• Uses an eMail address that is not a primary domain (i.e., calls itself “Omega Inc.” but has a Yahoo or AOL address).
• Includes certain phrases or words, such as “package-forwarding,” “money transfers,” “wiring funds,” “eBay,” “PayPal,” or “Foreign Agent Agreement.”
• Contains misspellings and grammatical mistakes.
Job seekers should never:
• Give out personal account information to a prospective employer, especially if they’ve never met in person.
• Agree to direct deposit of paychecks until they know their employer.
• Forward, transfer, or wire money to an employer, no matter how compelling the request might sound.
Source: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, www.privacyrights.org.
(c) 2012, The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.). Visit The Sacramento Bee online at www.sacbee.com. Distributed by MCT Information Services.
- Extron AV Switching, Streaming, and Control Systems Aid Higher Learning at Idaho’s First Medical School - June 1, 2021
- Extron XTP, Streaming, and Control Systems Empower Point Park University’s Varsity Esports Program - June 1, 2021
- Extron NAV Series Delivers AVoIP Throughout Allied Health Veterans Hall at UNC Wilmington - June 1, 2021