Connect with us

Jobs

Got offered a $365K a year job on a Sunday morning. Told boss, I’m not taking it.

Published

2 days ago

on

Hi, “Mia, with Indeed,” I’d love to accept your work-from-home job offer that pays up to $1,000 a day. Yep, I’m at least 22 years old. But I’m not sure we should chat on WhatsApp. Where exactly are you located?

Sure, there’s nothing I’d like better than an easy $365,000 a year gig. Why would I want to take a day off? Yet still, Mia, I wonder: Why me?

Nah, I didn’t respond to “Mia” when she sent me a text via “ebepycehow@email.com” on a Sunday morning in late June. I was rushing into my stretching class, then planning to head to church and later ready to tackle a few items on the Sunday to-do list. And given that just a month earlier I wrote another column about job scams, the odds weren’t too good that Mia and I would become best buddies anyway.

But I’m sharing the context of the text just in case Mia is a lot like our old friend Shasta who once made a ton of robocall warranty pitches a few years ago for your car. Maybe, Mia is sending a flood of texts and emails to people who are actively seeking work on Indeed or other job-related websites. You think?

More: Scammers take advantage of kindness by asking to borrow phones, sending fake cash to apps

Job scams trigger a median loss of $2,169

Online scams are on the rise when it comes to jobs. A long list of job hunters could be vulnerable — recent college graduates, people searching for extra cash to cover high grocery bills and rent, and those who faced getting laid off.

Consumers filed nearly 108,500 complaints about fake business and job opportunities in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel Network. About 32% of those complaints involved losing some money with a median loss of $2,169. Total losses reported exceeded $500 million.

The con artists often claim to be a job recruiter, promising to hire you for a job that does not exist, according to an fraud alert from global recruitment agency Robert Half, which notes that some fraudsters unlawfully use the Robert Half name and logo as part of their scams. “The fraudster then uses this promised job to solicit money or sensitive information from you.”

The human resources impersonators are hiding behind all sorts of well-known names, such as staffing agency Kelly Services, LinkedIn, Robert Half and Indeed.

What’s ‘Mia from Indeed’ saying in one scam

Here’s some of Mia’s lengthy text: “Your background and resume have caught the attention of several online recruiters, so we would like to offer you a job that you can do from home in your free time.”

“This job is easy and has no time limit.”

“Daily pay ranges from $200 to $1,000 and is paid on the same day.”

“Join us and be a part of America’s booming job market and start a career you can be proud of.”

OK, I started my career quite some time ago, maybe even before Mia’s mother was born. But still, up to $1,000 a day?

Unfortunately, we’ve got to realize that if it sounds too good to be true, well, it’s a scam.

FBI warns of job scam with bad cryptocurrency twist

The FBI issued an alert on June 4 that warns consumers of a job scam that involves directing consumers to a fake account that shows they’re making money but somehow, the worker is not able to get any of the cash.

Huge red flags: The employer does not require any references as part of the hiring process. And, as part of this scam, you’re going to be required to make cryptocurrency payments to your employer as part of the job.

According to the FBI warning, the work-from-home jobs are being offered by what sounds like a legitimate staffing or recruiting company and the jobs typically involve a task such as rating restaurants or “optimizing” a service by repeatedly clicking a button.

The job hunter might get an unsolicited call or message.

Here’s the really tricky part: “Scammers design the fake job to have a confusing compensation structure that requires victims to make cryptocurrency payments in order to earn more money or ‘unlock’ work,” the FBI stated, “and the payments go directly to the scammer.”

The FBI also warns as part of its latest job scams warning: “Do not pay for services that claim to be able to recover any lost cryptocurrency funds.”

More: Scammers convince people to hand over thousands in cash, use couriers to pick it up

In late May, a woman in metro Detroit reported that she applied for a job through Indeed.com because she believed the posting was from a legitimate company. A phony human resources employee from the company then contacted her and obtained the woman’s personal information, according to the Troy police report.

The woman received a check for $500 as part of the scam and was told to deposit that check into the bank. But the bank told her the check was fraudulent when she tried to deposit it. Fortunately, she did not lose any money, but her personal information was compromised.

I’ve also heard about work-from-home job scams that ask the worker to go out and buy a laptop using their own credit card. Imagine what happens to your $1,500 after you make that purchase. And yes, you’ll be out the money and never see that laptop show up.

Some employment scams might start out as simple as an email or text that reads: “Hey guys ! I need someone who can work Weekend Part-Time Morning Shift (7am-11am) and Part-Time afternoon Shift (6pm-10pm) Urgent. If interested, Inbox “Yes”, The detail will be provided, Thanks.”

What are the red flags of job scams?

Consumers are warned to take extra care with any unsolicited job offer messages, including work-from-home opportunities. Don’t click links, download files, or open attachments in these messages.

Never buy equipment or supplies to start a work-from-home job. Never send money or transfer money via a bitcoin ATM at a local store to an alleged employer. Do not cash a check that a new employer sends in advance to buy equipment, either.

Never send any form of payment to a potential employer: “Not only is charging fees a violation of Indeed’s rules for companies, these are often a type of scam,” according to an alert from Indeed. According to an Indeed spokesperson, Indeed removes “tens of millions of job listings each month that do not meet our quality guidelines.” Indeed will not do business with an employer if their job listings do not pass stringent quality guidelines.

Be skeptical of a job offer that doesn’t address you by name. If they’re impressed with your education or work, why don’t they know your name when they email or text you?

Don’t use instant messaging. Never send any materials or provide your Social Security number or bank account information via instant messaging services, like Telegram. Legitimate recruiters don’t use WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, or Google Chat to do interviews. Legitimate hiring managers are more likely to use GoToMeeting or Microsoft Teams using their company account, according to a Kelly Services alert.

Job interviews don’t take place via instant chat. “The anonymity associated with instant chat can increase the likelihood of you being asked personal questions unrelated to the job position, which can signal that the interview is a scam,” according to a fraud alert from Indeed.

Never bank on a “cleared” check. “No honest potential employer will ever send you a check to deposit and then tell you to send on part of the money, or buy gift cards with it,” according to an FTC alert on employment scams. “That’s a fake check scam. The check will bounce, and the bank will want you to repay the amount of the fake check.”

Take a second look at the email: “A Gmail or Yahoo email address is a red flag,” according to a fraud alert from Kelly Services.

Search the name of the company or person who contacted you. But add the words “scam.” Understand that sometimes, scammers will impersonate people who work at a company or college as part of a job scam. Call the company directly to see if they’re hiring and would send you a text or email. I didn’t spot anything yet for Mia. But there’s an alert online about job scams from Nina.

Even so, Mia as tempting as your job offer sounds, no, you won’t be hearing from me. Well, I guess, maybe you just did.

Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) @tompor.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading