ITRC: Online Job Scam Reports Rising

• The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) is seeing a rise in online job scams asking job seekers for their ID.me login information and other sensitive personal information.
• The ITRC helped 492 job scam victims in 2023 (compared to 226 job scam victims in 2022). The Center has already had 95 reported victims of job scams in January 2024, a 545 percent increase in victims from December 2023 to January 2024.
• Job scams are not uncommon. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 14,946 people reported being victims of employment scams in 2022, with losses totaling more than $52 million.
• To avoid an online job scam, verify the company is legitimate and go to the original site to find open job postings. Do not share sensitive personal information early in the process.
• To learn more about online job scams, contact the ITRC toll-free by phone (888.400.5530) or live chat by visiting idtheftcenter.org.

Job scams are nothing new. Identity criminals typically look to take advantage of those seeking employment. However, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has seen a rise in online job scam reports to its contact center. The ITRC helped 492 online job scam victims in 2023, a 118 percent increase from 2022. From December 2023 to January 2024, the ITRC saw a 545 percent increase in job scams reported to the Center. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 14,946 people reported being victims of employment scams in 2022, with losses totaling more than $52 million.

What is Happening?

Job seekers are being contacted or finding phony job listings on job posting platforms such as Indeed and Craigslist, as well as being told they were scouted for (fake) jobs on LinkedIn. Identity criminals are asking job seekers for their ID.me login information and other sensitive personal information such as driver’s license information and Social Security numbers (SSNs).

Work-From-Home Job Scams

With the shift to a hybrid work schedule (home and in-office) and the offer from many companies to work from home full-time, lots of people are looking to take advantage of work-from-home perks. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scammers continue taking outdated ads from real employers, changing them and posting them on employment websites.

Tips to Avoid an Online Job Scam

• Once you find a job posting, be careful how much personal information you share, at least during the application period. This is one of the most important, if not the most important, tips for consumers. Interviews by phone, Skype or Zoom are standard. However, it is a big red flag when a potential employer asks you to download a separate third-party app to communicate or if they initiate the interview through text or email. Do not turn over sensitive personal information like your SSN, financial account information or a picture of your driver’s license. Do not send your ID.me login information or log in to an ID.me account that was created for you. Numerous federal and state agencies use ID.me to verify the identities of registrants. Sharing this information or uploading information to an account set up for you allows a thief to pose as you with this login.
• Know the source of the job listing. This requires you to do some research. Look online for independent sources of information. Search the name of the company or the person who’s hiring you and add a word like “scam,” “review” or “complaint.” Searching for “Acme Co Scams” will give you search results showing whether the company is legitimate and has been associated with identity fraud. You will often see what other employees and customers think of the would-be employer. Visit the company’s official website where you’re applying and check its “Careers” or “Jobs” section to ensure they are hiring. Also, check to ensure you are visiting the company’s real website and receiving an email from the company’s actual domain. Would-be identity thieves have gotten savvy and may replace the letter “l” with the number “1” or add something simple like a “-us” to the end of a website or email address to make it look like you are visiting a company’s legitimate website or receiving an email from a legitimate company. You can always call the company directly from the number on their official website to ensure they are hiring.
• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be mindful of unsolicited texts and emails with offers of employment. Also, check the email address. It is a good idea to check to see what most legitimate companies are paying for the position you are applying for, which will give you an idea of whether or not it is an online job scam. Offers for a wage or salary above industry standards is one way scammers attempt to lure in victims.
• Legitimate jobs don’t usually require any upfront fees or costs. Even things like company uniforms or specialized equipment like steel-toed shoes are often deducted from the first paycheck or purchased by the employee through an outside company. Typically, a form of payment is not requested. If an employer asks for a finder’s fee, administrative fee, background check fee or other funds, it is probably a scam. Even for legitimate actions like presenting a bank account number and routing number for direct depositing of paychecks, it’s vital to ensure the company is legitimate and the job has already been awarded before submitting the information. Also, don’t pay for the promise of a job. Only scammers will ask you to pay to get a job.
• Don’t send money to your new boss. If a potential employer or new boss sends you a check, asks you to deposit it and then buy something else with those funds, such as gift cards, it is an online job scam. While the check may look like it cleared and the funds appear available in your account, the check is still fake and you will be responsible for any purchases.

Contact the ITRC

There are many different job scams, particularly online job scams. If you have questions, want to learn more, or believe you were the victim of an online job scam, contact us. You can speak with an expert advisor by phone (888.400.5530) or live chat. Just visit www.idtheftcenter.org to get started.

The post was originally published on 6/30/21 and was updated on 2/14/24