Phony Job Offer Email Scams

Many people have reported that job offers originating from some of the major employment sites via email are not what they appear to be. These emails have subject lines that sound exciting. They claim that you are a candidate for a good job and that you should apply right away. When you click the link in the email you sometimes end up on a page with a form where you are instructed to enter your vital stats (name, address, phone number etc.) to begin the employment process.


I hate to break it to you, but a lot of these emails are nothing more than scams designed to trick you into divulging your personal information. Once you've filled out the form and submitted it the information doesn't end up where you'd expect, such as a recruiters inbox. Instead, your personal information ends up in a database and is sold to marketing companies or other interested parties. And that's the best thing that can happen if your job offer turns out to be a scam.


Some job offers are actually identity theft schemes


Some of these bogus offers are identity theft schemes in which you are tricked into handing criminals the keys to your financial accounts. Since when did employers need your PIN number? I suppose HR might need your Social Security number eventually, but I'd never give that out over the phone to someone I'd never met face-to-face.


Training programs designed to look like employment opportunities


These phony job postings aren't necessarily dangerous...unless you fall for it! Just ask yourself what kind of job requires you to pony up a lot of money for training that could, I repeat, could lead to a job.


For example, I once saw a job posting on Jobster that turned out to be nothing more than a pitch for SAP training disguised as a job offer. Buried in the details was some nonsense about how you might receive a job offer once the training was completed. Expensive training I might add. There was no promise of a job. The best they could do was mention that you might be eligible for contract work.


These training programs masquerading as job offers are quite common. If you haven't seen one yet, it's only a matter of time until you do.


Today's tip is to look these job offers you receive via email over carefully before you respond to them. We suggest you research potential employers before contacting them. You might be surprised what you find out.


How to Spot a Phony Job Ad


By eHow Contributing Writer


Phony job ads have become more and more commonplace. Many times, these are simply gateways into money scams or identity theft. Don't waste your time and effort by applying and getting sucked into these dubious advertisements.


Step 1 Read the ad to see if it tells you the company's name. While not all advertisements that leave out the company's name are frauds, there are many that use this anonymity to draw curious people in. Be very cautious of organizations who post an ad this way.


Step 2 Be wary of any advertisement that does not tell you specifics about the job like the title, required qualifications or the basic duties of the position. Some companies will skimp on this information, especially in places where they pay by the word, like newspapers. Most will give you some basic information about the job.


Step 3 Know what the basic salary is for the position you are looking for. Many times, phony job ads will advertise a large pay advantage over legitimate jobs in the field. This is a tactic used to sucker in people to the phony job ad. If a pay rate seems too good be true, it probably is.


Step 4 Exercise caution about responding to an ad that says it will get you a position in return for money. This is a sure sign of a fraud, as it is just an attempt to extort cash from job seekers. There is no job where you should have to pay the employer, not even with temp agencies or head hunters.


Step 5 Watch for weird fonts and format. Many online job frauds will use this as a way of keeping under the radar of companies that remove phony job postings. A real job ad will look professional.