Job searches may not be safe
As the market gets tighter and more companies layoff employees, everyone is now looking online for jobs. And why not when you have sites like Monster.com that has virtually millions of postings across all job descriptions? While these sites do have many reputable companies looking for employees or consultants, there are some out there looking to steal you blind. Crooks have discovered that people looking for a job will send them virtually anything they ask for. Those that have been out of work and have no way of paying for bills tend to be scared and willing to virtually anything a potential hiring group wants. Don’t fall into the traps we discuss below as you can end up having your identity stolen or your bank account emptied.
Asking for login/password data:
No reputable company is going to send you an email asking for your login and password. They already have that information and have backups, plus if they lost that data, where did they get your email address from? Hackers are getting better at putting together good looking emails that include graphics from teh victim site with a link to a URL to retype your login/password data into. The text of the URL will look like it is from the company, but the URL link that your browser uses will go to another location. This other location is usually a hacked site that grabs your data and sends it to the hackers where they use it to break into your account. Most browsers have anti-phishing technology that looks for differences between the text of the URL and the actual location. Plus, some browsers will verify the site is safe by calling a company that verifies sites that are targeted for this type of attack. Remember, if you get an email asking for your login or password, delete it or mark it as spam.
Asking for banking or credit card numbers
Some companies require that you pay for a background check before they continue an interview. We will leave it up to you if it is worth it to pay for something without ay guarantee of employment. Plus said company now has a lot of personal information about you that they do not need if they do not hire you. But another problem is the criminal that is pretending he is a hiring company that needs a background check. They ask for your bank account number or credit card number as part of the hiring process. They explain that they must check your credit references before they can go further in the hiring process but they are really just stealing your credit information. The potential candidate is out whatever money was asked for and the information is then sold to other hackers.
Make sure you are dealing with a company you can trust. Calling the Better Business Bureau or credit card companies can give you a good idea of who you are dealing with. Any company that asks for bank account, credit card numbers, social security number or other important numbers should be looked at with extreme concern. They should be looking at your resume and talking to references rather then prying into your private finances.
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