Job scams…what actually happens to professionals like you!

Leo is a highly specialized engineer with +15 years of experience in the Oil and Gas Industry who e-mailed me a few weeks ago to check on a job offer he had got from a well known company in the UK. He was excited after having exchanged some e-mails with a recruiter from that company and thrilled there was a job offer for him to be relocated to the United Kingdom. The ‘catch’ and what created discomfort on him was a payment in advance to be made to this company in order for them to process the immigration paperwork on his behalf. He e-mailed me the notes and websites provided and everything seemed ‘legitimate’ until I noticed the employer’s originating e-mail address which ended on ’@yahoo.com’. That was the obvious sign that this was a job scam.


When I performed a quick research on Internet it was obvious this company was one of the many job scams that are taking advantage of the recession to take money from those highly educated professionals that would be willing to relocate to a different country in order to make a living.

From Jan. 1, 2010 to August 31, 2010 the US Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) received 2,431 complaints from consumers on work-at-home scams

Leo’s case is not unique. Job scams are on the rise. Be careful not to trust too easily a potential job offer when:

1. It is too good to be true. High salary potential and excellent benefits for little work and no experience necessary should be enough to make you suspicious.

2. The  corporation’s use of ‘generic’ email addresses, like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, rather than a specific business email address.

3. The employer offers the convenience of working from home and getting rich by doing it. While millions of entrepreneurs will earn their income from enterprises run from home offices nationwide millions of others will fall victim to work-at-home scams that are spread through classified ads, direct mailings, and the Internet and e-mail.

4. The hiring company asks for money upfront. On Leo’s case it meant some 'needed' money to fix immigration paperwork in the UK. Even the internet links shared by the employer can be potentially ‘hacked’ in order for you to provide personal financial information and/or make a payment.

5. The employer wants your credit report from the beginning. Though, it is true that employers may require this information to candidates that have been interviewed and who are most likely on the final stages of the selection process, it is unusual to get an e-mail from the potential employer that in order to be considered for the job, the applicant has to check his or her credit report through a recommended website. Beware of releasing confidential social security or financial information.

There is also a recent and fantastic article related to the Top 10 Job Scams That Target the Unemployed - See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/9DBZB6 - that I invite you to visit to get more information.

Remember that it is your job search process which means YOU are responsible for doing your own research. Use the public library, newspapers, the Internet, and your state employment office to find info on your potential employer and ensure you get the job that’s right for you.


Best Success,
Your Career Coach,
Mariela Tinoco-Aramburu
+20 public positive referrals available at www.linkedin.com/in/marielatinoco