RSS
Home
Job seekers protect yourselves online
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Identity thieves are as innovative as they are evil. The days of rummaging through trash cans for personal paperwork have been replaced by fake ads for jobs. If you are using internet resources such as job sites review the following safety tips.
Keep your Social Security number private. Don’t list it on your resume or any other data that you send by email or post on a web site.
Protect your privacy by omitting your street address from any posting of a resume or other data. Just list your city.
Spammers continually prowl web sites for email addresses to add to their list. Consider setting up a free email account that you use exclusively for your job hunt so that you can isolate your exposure to spammers phishers and other scammers. Put this email address on your resume instead of using your primary address.
Do research before you take any job offer seriously. You can Google the company to see what you find about it. A company’s web site can be a ruse, so be sure to check with the Better Business Bureau and the state Attorney General where the business is located.
Research the person who makes you a job offer to make sure that they are actually authorized to represent the company offering the job. The first test is their email address which should reflect the domain name of the company. Follow up by finding the company phone number in a phone directory or by finding the company site through Google and call the Human Resource department for verification.
Move on if you encounter a job site that requires you to register, pay, or enter your Social Security number or driver’s license number before you can view job listings. Such sites are most likely a scam.
Beware of opening email attachments. Make sure that you have up-to-date antivirus software that also protects you from spyware and malware.
Don’t click on links inside an email that asks you to submit a resume. Research the company first using Google or other search function and make sure that it is legitimate. If you find that there is a web site then go directly to the company’s Human Resources page and find your job listing and the description for how to apply. Email links are a prime way that malware gets loaded to your computer.
Avoid these common scams:
- Forwarding packages to a third party – you might be moving stolen property
- Opening a bank account for another person or business
- Cashing or depositing checks and forwarding money
- Any request from anyone in a foreign country especially Nigeria and Russia,
For more information: Check out a company at The Better Business Bureau (www.bbbonline.com).
Learn to avoid and deal with identity theft at The Federal Trade Commission. (www.ftc.gov)
The Identity Theft Resource Center fact sheet 121 Prevention Tips for Job Seekers.
Financial Literacy Home Page
http://www.examiner.com/x-6044-Financial-Literacy-Examiner
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
