BBB warns employment scams higher this year than 2022

WHIO Staff
·2 min read

A new report shows employment scams are on the rise compared with this same time last year.

>>BBB: Employment scams climb to 2nd riskiest in 2022

They are up 250% and people have lost more than $800,000 this year, according to the Better Business Bureau.

News Center 7 Consumer Investigative Reporter Xavier Hershovitz says these scams are happening in the Miami Valley and all across the country.

Here are the top three employment scams, according to the BBB:

  • Reshipment scam- When they ask you to buy an item on your credit card you will need for the job and send it to them. The scammer says they will reimburse you but never do.

  • Car wraps- When they pay you to put an advertisement on your car but the check you get as payment is fake.

  • Mystery shopper- They want you to go “undercover” at a business and buy products to review and once again, you are not reimbursed, and the checks sent to you are fake.

>>BBB warns of scammers impersonating banks through text messages, phone calls

“It never fails that if it sounds too good to be true, it really is,” said Sheri Sword, BBB Vice President of Communications. “You always need to check them out. If you’re not sure, talk to a trusted friend or family member, call the BBB, or call the company itself to see if it really is on the up and up.”

Hershovitz says these scams appear most of the time on online job boards.

The BBB says it’s mostly young job seekers that are falling for these scams.

Here are some of the red flags that the job you are interested in may not be legit:

  • Jobs requiring you to pay money

  • Remote jobs involving checks

  • Cold calls about jobs

  • High-then-average pay

  • Interview processes are done strictly over email

>>RELATED: Facebook Marketplace scammer cons Piqua couple out of local apartment, over $1,000

Hershovitz reports it’s not just your money these scammers are after.

“They do an interview with you. They ask you some serious questions. They imply that the job is yours and then all they need is a little bit of personal information so they can do a background check or set up direct deposit,” said Sword. “Think twice before you provide that information. Because that personal information is the key to your life.”

With the popularity of working from home, the BBB suggests people really research the company they are interviewing with.