GREENSBORO, N.C. — As the price of gas and everyday items continue to rise, many folks are looking to make some extra cash during the holidays. Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of people applying for seasonal jobs.
According to the Better Business Bureau, last year employment scams were the third riskiest scam for all consumers regardless of age. The organization said so far this year on average, victims of job scams will lose around $950. BBB’s Lechelle Yates said scammers who prey on people during the holidays are some of the most despicable.
“Many of the people that we hear from are already out of a job and so job scams just compound the problem because they've either lost money or they could lose money because they've had their identity stolen,” Yates said.
Yates said there are two types of holiday scams. The first is where the scammer tries to steal your personal information including your social security number and bank account by filling out a lot of paperwork. The other often involves a fake check given to the new hire by the scammer to cover supplies and equipment.
“We have the misperception that once the money is deposited and appears in our account that the check is good and that simply isn't the case,” Yates said. “It can take a check up to two weeks to wind its way through the banking system and be detected as fake and you're on the hook for the money, not the bank and certainly not the scammer who has been long gone."
The B-B-B offers several ways to protect yourself from a job scam:
- Be wary of job offers that are only done through email or text. Yates said even during peak hiring season, a legitimate company is going to want to interview you even if it's just by zoom.
- Be wary of big money for small jobs. If a job is offering outrageous money for answering a phone or for reshipping packages, that's a red flag.
- Lastly, do your research. Google the name of the job and see if there are any reports of problems with this job listing.
Unfortunately, you can still run into some of these scams even on reputable job sites. The BBB said these sites are actively searching for these job listings to kick them off.
So, remember, be careful and do your research.