Job Scams and How to Avoid Them

Finding employment has been near impossible lately. Especially with the pandemic going on, the search has become longer and more difficult. Even for people like myself, who have Bachelor’s degrees and plenty of customer service experience, the wait is becoming irritating and it’s no secret that if you’re applying online, like most of us are, the chances of your resume being seen are slim. So, you release the firing squad of job applications and bite onto any attention you can get. This is where the job scams come in. These people, preying on the desperation of the unemployed, lure you in with benefits, high wages, and flexible hours. Some poor souls have even been entirely robbed with job scams like the rubber check scam or even less obvious methods such as joining MLMs (Multi-level Marketing organizations) or network marketing companies.

I have fallen for a few of these scams and decided to write this in the hopes that others do not apply to these companies. If you do see advertisements like this and you have the time, please try to report them as soon as possible. The more people report these scams, the less they’ll be able to access more people.

1. The Advertisement

So this is the first step towards most scams you’ll encounter. The places you are most likely to find job scams when applying online are through Facebook, Indeed, and Remote.co - all of which receive higher traffic now both from hirees and potential employees for quite obvious reasons. This leads to scams being posted on those websites because there is no strict verification process for people who are posting on these sites, particularly on Facebook and Indeed.

For the advertisement, the examples stated are collected from job applications on Indeed. The key things to look out for are the language of the advertisement, the stated benefits, the level of experience required, and the method of application in order to avoid these ‘companies’ wasting your time.

First thing’s first. Don’t send an application to a company you can’t find with a quick google. Some might assume this is an obvious statement, but, when you’re desperate for employment, you’ll do anything to find a job. Examples of such companies include _____ Inc, _____ LLC, and recognizable company names with small alterations to the name such as Facebo0k. The latter is probably the sneakiest tactic employed by these people because it relies on brand recognition even though it’s a false advertisement. Those with fundraising or sales experience should also watch out for Customer Service Rep positions as these often come attached to shady names and are the easiest scams to post on websites like those.

As for the benefits of these, what I’m going to say applies only to entry-level jobs as those with higher positions are often deemed more entitled by our current economy to have a sustainable career. There aren’t specific benefits you want to look out for, but what you do want to avoid is a job that seems too good to be true. Unfortunately, entry-level jobs that offer $18+/hr, medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, 401k’s, and paid training just are not available for people of a certain class and skill level. The scams that use these tactics often present the benefits early in the job description, before, even, the tasks of the job. This is how they lure in poorer individuals - with the promise of good pay, health insurance, and retirement.

The level of experience required for these jobs varies from GED to Bachelor’s degree. Often they require experience in customer service and with Microsoft Word (word because it’s the easiest way to send documents from a Windows computer to a Mac computer in case there is a difference for the victim). It is also easy for people with no more than a high school diploma to becomes targets because often they are barred from more traditional, higher-earning due to their lack of professional experience.

Also, for remote work, there are ways the scams might be targeting those new to this type of employment which might also seem obvious to those with experience with this. The application process. NEVER start your application through text or private e-mail. A professional company won’t contact you through e-mail until after they’ve received your application while these scams will request that you e-mail or text them so that they have access to your private accounts which makes you easier to reach when they’re ready to begin their scam.

2. The Callback/The E-mail

When a job scam contacts you about your application, they can go about this in many different ways. The most common way is through e-mail as it seems unambiguous to most people, but they will also reach you through text when they can because it’s more personable. This where their questionable language can come into play.

I received an e-mail recently that looked like this:

This type of language is an example of something you definitely want to report and abandon. In the red is the name of the ‘CEO’ I’ve been assigned as part of their scam and this is another way you can be sure something is a scam. This guy’s name was that of a pirate from the 18th century. Some of these scammers don’t speak English, so they’ll use the wackiest names in their scams. Like this similar one found on Reddit of a scam led by the man Frohm G Hasselberg.

This kind of scam is very prominent because people are often unaware of the type of language to avoid and tactics they use to lure in people who might not be so aware of these types of scams.

Whenever you get an e-mail or a text message that uses phrases such as, “How would you like to receive your pay?” or “We have received your information…”

3. The Interview

I sincerely hope none of you get to this stage as this is where people experience the most pain (re: the Rubber check scam again). The more obvious scams like those previously mentioned can out people thousands of dollars. The way to avoid those scams is often to avoid their interview process altogether. They will request that the interview should be done on WhatsApp or Snapchat, but professional companies will NEVER do this. If you are requested to do this, you can be entirely sure it’s a scam. But there are also more sinister scams hiding in the definition between legality and pyramid scheme: MLM’s and Network Marketing organizations.

An MLM, which is a scam for everyone that isn’t the CEO or higher executives, functions just like a pyramid scheme. They often get away with it, though, because they define themselves as Direct Sellers. You may have applied to these jobs without knowing it… until you get to the interview phase. They’ll describe themselves as a Customer Service position to you. They’ll use the same language most professional companies use, but often with the addition of phrases like ‘work-life balance’ and ‘be your own boss’ to inspire curiosity.

The interviews can be very cult-like. Often done in groups, they’re more like initiations than proper interviews. They will educate you on the supposed benefits of joining their company, vaguely describe what your responsibilities are in the business, and then they hit you with the bill. This is where the scam comes in. In order to go through their training, you have to pay them anywhere from $100 to $300. To most people, this seems reasonable and you wouldn’t be mistaken for thinking that if you were trying to enter a new field, but here’s the crucial difference. A professional company will NEVER charge you money to work for them. You may have to go to a trade school or community college to learn a new skill, but you will never be paying your own employer for training.

As this assessment ends at the interview process, I can’t be entirely sure what happens to those who go through with the MLM scam. But stories usually conclude with the fact that MLM employees often have a net income, meaning they make no money.

I hope this insight saves a few people from the actions of these scammers, as it is so easy to fall for an employment scam today. Best of wishes towards your employment journey and stay safe out there!