School is officially out, which means high school and college students nationwide are looking for ways to earn some money this summer. Unfortunately, scammers know this too, and they’re constantly trying to scam young job seekers. In fact, employment scams were the most common scam for people ages 25-34 last year.
Employment scams consistently rank as one of the riskiest scams, according to BBB ScamTracker. More than 2,000 people were impacted by these scams. That’s why BBB is offering tips to avoid these fraudsters and ensure your summer break is well spent.
For many high school and college students, finding a summer job is a priority. BBB warns consumers that sometimes seasonal job postings may not end up as advertised. If a prospective employer doesn’t readily share job details, has no online or physical presence or contact information, and isn’t interested in doing an interview, chances are it’s a scam. You can always check the BBB ScamTracker report for prevalent employment scams in your area as well.
You should remember that no employer should require that you perform a “trial run” day of work at any time during your application process. Hold off on doing any work until you have a formal job offer and have completed all your hiring paperwork.
Legitimate employers will also never ask for sensitive information like a credit card number or banking information during the application process. Don’t share any financial information via email or over the phone. A solid job offer will include on-site paperwork (at which time you can often set up direct deposit of your earnings into your bank account and may be asked for your Social Security number).
Click here for more tips on spotting and avoiding employment scams.