The Better Business Bureau in Acadiana is warning of a new scam targeting job seekers! If you get offered a job that seems too good to be true, it probably is. This scam is presented using a real company name with fake job postings, fake recruiter emails, and fake work at home offers designed to get steal your money and or personal information.
In some cases, victims will get an email from a source pretending to be a recruiter. These scams involve the names of real businesses. After the fake hiring takes place, the scammer, posing as a company, will then usually ask for your banking information to supposedly set up a direct deposit. This is a red flag. The hiring process for a legitimate company can take weeks. Remember if you have to pay money to train for a job, it is most likely a scam.
An Acadiana job seeker was recently tricked by one of these false job ads. The job seeker received a text message from a person posing as the Head Administrator of an engineering firm called ATA Engineering. This is an actual company based in San Diego.
The impostor told the job seeker that his information was obtained from Career Builder and instructed him to respond to the text message with “proceed” if interested in a new career. The victim was connected to a hiring manager who conducted an interview. After a series of questions, the interviewer told the victim that they needed more information so the company could send him money to buy office supplies.
The victim became suspicious. After doing a search, the victim contacted ATA Engineering in California. He discovered that the company was not hiring and he was being tricked. The FBI was already aware of the situation.
The Better Business Bureau has a few tips to protect yourself from being scammed:
Keep in mind that some job titles are more likely to be fake. Be wary of work from home and secret shopper type of jobs. Always check the company’s website to see if a position is actually available.
Scams will involve unusual procedures that generally do not happen when landing a new job. So if you are instantly hired without an interview, or offered a large salary as long as you pay for the training, it is probably a scam.
As with anything, if you feel a tinge of doubt, listen to that feeling. Do your research. Look up the company and find out if the company is hiring. Get all of the details and promises in writing. Look for the Better Business Bureau seal of approval. Be sure to report any suspicious activity to the BBB.
Find out more: BBB Serving Acadiana