Working remotely has become more common since the Covid pandemic. There are hundreds of jobs listed on sites like LinkedIn and Indeed. Many seem too good to be true. That is because many, in fact, ARE too good to be true. It’s up to you to sleuth out the truth on job posts.
Pretending to be recruiters, the scammers call, email, text, or message on social media with high-salary or “work-from-home” job offers.
Sometimes the goal is to get additional info about you; other times it’s to persuade you to send money for bogus home-office setups or fake fees. They may even send you a “too large” initial paycheck that is fake, asking you to send back the difference.
How to Avoid this Scam: Use a separate email address just for job hunting. Also, set up a free Google Voice phone number that rings on your phone but keeps your real number private. This will keep your real data out of the criminal’s call lists.
If you get a job offer, do your research, and independently call the company’s human resources department to verify it is real. A quick Google search might even help you avoid having to make that phone call.
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