Laid-Off Workers Are Flooded With Fake Job Offers.
“Virtual hiring and remote work have made it easier to swindle job seekers."
Here are scam warning signs, according to author Imani Moise at The New York Times:
- Misspellings and others errors in recruitment sites.
- Interviewers who won’t do video or even phone calls—they insist on text chat.
- Employers who want you to pay upfront for computers and other equipment, and promise reimbursement.
- Scam employers will ask for your bank account and social security numbers during the interview. The time to give out your bank account number is AFTER you’ve been hired, for direct deposit of your paycheck.
The Social Security number is a tricky one for me—I can maybe see legit reasons to ask that during the job interview process. Indeed, I can’t remember whether I’ve been asked that before being hired on any jobs I’ve had—maybe I have been, and gave it out.