After I graduated from College, I was looking for employment. I searched newspaper want ads, Craigslist.com, Monster.com and many other online job posting websites. I sent my resume out to several of them.
I found one job online that I really liked, they even sent me back an email and I did a short interview over email. I checked out their business and they looked legit. They said they wanted to hire me and that they would send me a business use laptop and printer. They purchased it on Buy.com and “shipped” it to me. They continually emailed me and began giving me instructions on what my duties were. I tracked the shipment with the tracking number they emailed me. The package almost got to me and then the tracking said it had been returned and it was a scam.
I was a little depressed to find out that this job that looked just like what I wanted to do was fake. Luckily I didn’t give them too much information and I didn’t lose any money. But it did waste my time and I almost turned down another job offer that I ended up accepting (don’t worry this one was legit).
So what did I learn. Make sure you can talk to people. Ask as many questions as possible. This will show you are interested in the position, but it will also help to give them an opportunity if they are a scam for them to mess up and hopefully allow you to catch them. Try to go locally. I was wanting to re-locate so I wasn’t able to meet with this company in person. If you are able to meet with a potential employer in person at a legit business scam, chances are it is legit. The more resources and capital someone has to put up to pull of a scam, the less likely they are to do it.
Even thought it may seem like you are trying to dig out and get a job and it seems like you have applied to everyone and have received nothing back, keep going. Don’t give up either. It may take a long time, but keep improving yourself and keep looking so when the right job comes you will be ready.
Study up on job offer types when you are searching for jobs. I just received an email from Monster.com that had some great tips and some common job offer scams to be aware of. I just wanted to quote them cause they do a good job at explaining it and they have links to their site where they go into more depth. So thanks Monster.com.
Money-Laundering Scams
Money launderers offer “jobs” with commissions or pay as high as $2000 per day to process checks on behalf of foreign nationals. They recruit local citizens to “process payments” or “transfer funds,” because as foreign nationals, they can’t do it themselves.Learn more about money laundering scams here.»Reshipping Scams
Reshipping scams typically require job seekers to receive packages of stolen goods-frequently consumer electronics-and then forward the packages, often outside the United States. Those who fall for reshipping scams may be liable for shipping charges and even the cost of goods purchased online with stolen credit cards. Read more about reshipping scams here.»Pre-pay/Work at Home Scams
Although there are genuine jobs working at home, many “offers” are not valid forms of employment and have the simple goal of getting victims to make an initial “investment.”Find out more about avoiding these scams.»