#Coronavirus has left millions of workers without jobs, many desperate for remote jobs that can provide a source of income without having to leave their homes.
Unfortunately, this also means that scammers are on the prowl for vulnerable people looking for work. There have always been job scams out there, but it’s going to grow as the weeks go on.
Here are a few of the most popular scams that should raise some red flags.
FAKE CHECKS You may see a job post offering “quick cash” typically in the telemarketing, sales or customer service field.
Red flag: Employer offers to send you a check to buy supplies to do the job
- When you go to deposit the check, it’ll probably clear within a day or two
- A few days after, the bank will discover the check was fake
- Your bank account will be negative, and you are now responsible for any overdraft
Protect yourself: Never use money from a check to wire funds, send gift cards or money orders to strangers.
MYSTERY SHOPPERS Retailers DO sometimes use mystery shoppers to audit their stores for customer service, cleanliness, etc. But, chances are legitimate companies are not doing this right now.
Red flag: Employers ask you to evaluate a money transfer service (such as Western Union or MoneyGram) as your first assignment.
- You receive a check and are asked to deposit it, take out the cash and wire it to a third party (spoiler alert: the third party is the scammer!)
- The check will bounce, and you will be responsible for the negative balance
To check if a mystery shopping offer is legitimate, check here!
GOVERNMENT GRANTS/LOANS Federal and state governments are working on relief packages to help workers get through this tough time. There will be a lot of new programs being stood up over the next few weeks/months, so please be careful.
Red flag: Any call, text or email that offers a government grant or loan.
- Do not give out any personal information over the phone
- Do not click on any links in emails or provide any personal information
To confirm which programs are legitimate, check official government websites + news stories.
Please be sure to report any suspected scams on Jobcase by clicking the three dots in the upper right and selecting Report. That will help our team find them quicker!
Good luck with your job search!
Volunteer Work over the internet. Somebody could start a list for resources for those who need things. Like basic necessities. Like food. Personal cleaning supplies. Maybe ask a local church, for extra gift cards. Or something else, there are other resources, like helping people on a chat line, for those who can't help themselves. There are so many of them.
#help others #reach out #volunteer #think of others #compassion #kindness #gentleness #helper
Hello, my name is Hewie and I am in a tough situation right now. Here is my background. I am an international student who graduated in December 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering. I also got my Engineer in Training certificate in Environmental Engineering.
I am currently in OPT right now and the issued date was on February 1st. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), my unemployment cannot last more than 90 days, which is approximately by the end of April. If I am unemployed by the end of April, I have to get back to Hong Kong... I was supposed to have a few interviews at the end of March but due to COVID-19, my interview appointments had to cancel or postpone.
I am still waiting for further notice from USCIS. I have been losing sleep worrying about my status and financial security. I would really hope some civil/environmental engineering companies can give me an interview chance. It can be any paid/unpaid position!
#coronavirus #interview #internationalstudent #OPT #unemployment #help
13 and looking for an job I really perfer babysitting #interview #application #help
I work as a hair stylist in a fairly busy salon just outside of Knoxville. Alot of clients have been canceling because they're afraid of catching the #coronavirus.
I need to make money!! I can't keep having my clients cancel. Is anyone else in the human services world facing this?? What can I do? #help
Unfortunately, fake job listings are more common than we would hope. Here at Jobcase, we work hard to make sure that all scammer profiles are deactivated, but sometimes they do slip through the cracks.
Here are a few red flags that a job might actually be a scam.
The Company Is Hard to Find Online The first thing you should do if you feel there is something “off” about a company is Google them. Even the least tech-savvy businesses usually have some sort of basic webpage that describes their company. If there is no trace of them online, be wary.
It Sounds Too Good to be True If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. When you see a high salary, topnotch benefits and a lot of big promises (job growth, pay increase, lots of perks, etc.) - proceed with caution. Be on the look for keywords such as “earn money quick” and “a lot of salary potential.” Typically they will also require you to work for less than minimum wage for some time or place you on probation where you don’t get paid at all for a “trial period.”
Vague Job Description If the description is vague and/or contains multiple typos, chances are it was computer-generated or put together by an individual writing in a non-native language. Ask to speak with a hiring manager directly to get a better idea of the role and expectations.
No Interview If you were offered a job with no interview process, your alarm bells should be blaring. If a company is in a rush to hire you and immediately asks for “payroll” information such as bank account and social security numbers, it’s typically a scam.
Sending Money / Using a Personal Bank Account Legitimate companies won’t ask for money or ask you to pay for something upfront. Never send any money or give out personal banking information.
Please be sure to report any suspected scams by clicking the three dots in the upper right and selecting Report. That will help the JC Team find them quicker!
Good luck with your job search!
As always, be sure to reach out if you have any questions or concerns! We're here to help :)
Been doing this awhile. I thought I was already in the group.
So many job offering but none, really book interviews. Why?
I think we've all seen it whether first stepping out in the workforce trying to land a first job or switching into a new industry or job -- "must have experience" - but how do you gain experience when nobody will hire you because you don't have experience yet - FRUSTRATING!
Have you thought of working with a staffing company?
Often employers will partner with staffing companies so the staffing company will hire for their more entry level roles.
I like to recommend working with a few staffing companies during your job search especially for first jobs as well as when you're trying to move into a new type of job:
1 - You are building your own job search team, think of yourself as an athlete and the staffing company recruiters as your agents. They're able to tap into their network of companies that they already have relationships with!
2 - Once you're hired by the staffing company you work for them - they want to get you a job! You've spent time with your staffing company recruiter; face to face interview, skills assessment, etc - they know your strengths and skills and they are able to have conversations with the employers about why that company should hire you, for example:
"I interviewed Laura last week and she is interested in a customer service role with your company, she doesn't have the exact customer service experience you are looking for but she worked at Chipotle for two years where she interacted with customers on a daily basis and she interviewed well with me and was able to answer a few tough interview questions based around difficult customer service situations - I think she would do well in your customer service job..."
3 - Often staffing companies have a mix of both short term and long term assignments - a great way to try out a new role without making a commitment! For example, If you think you'd like to get away from a retail job and more into a packaging job in a warehouse it is very likely that a staffing company will have a short term assignment that you can try out. If you end up loving the packaging job, great! If not, then you haven't made a longterm commitment, finish your short term assignment and then try your hand at something else!
Here are a few links to staffing companies that I work with often:
-- Integrity Staffing Solutions is a fantastic staffing company with many entry level jobs. Here is the link to their website:
https://www.integritystaffing.com/find-your-opportunities
-- Adia is a mobile platform that allows you to create and schedule short term assignments from your mobile phone. They are only in a few cities so far, but growing rapidly. Here is the link to their website:
-- UberWorks is also a mobile platform that allows you to create and schedule short term assignments from your mobile phone. They too are only in a few cities so far, but growing rapidly. Here is the link to their website:
-- Staffmark is another fantastic staffing company with many entry level jobs. Here is the link to their website:
https://jobs.employeeworkplace.com/staffmark
Good luck with your job search!
#firstjob #jobsearch #interview #noexperience #staffingcompany #help #motivation #tips
Has anyone actually found a job it this rabbit hole of job sites that lead you from one to the other registering instead of showing you the job. Then i get emails about a job matching my resume( which is 25 yrs of cabinet making) and the job is for pizz hut. Wth?