MEMPHIS, TN - An accused scam artist is behind bars after police say he conned hundreds of people out of thousands of dollars. You could be one of the victims and not even know it. The accused crook offers to give you a job. But instead, he takes your money and your personal information, then takes off. With job security not so secure, some people have become desperate to find a job. And websites like Monster, Hot Jobs and Career Builder are staring to receive a lot of hits. A couple of weeks ago Kevin Ward was looking for a job and he thought he found it. He even went for a job interview at the Clark Tower in East Memphis. The job posting was for a window washer. It paid $21/hour and required a $69 processing fee. A fee Ward thought was for a background check and a drug test. "I got scammed out of $69. When I first found out I got scammed, I was going to just chalk it up and take the loss. Then I realized he had all my information." Information Ward says could make him a victim of identity theft. "Social Security number, address, phone number."The job posting looks very legit and Randy Hutchinson, with the Better Business Bureau says that's why people like Ward become victims. "The crooks post jobs there and they also contact people who have posted their resumes there so you cannot assume just because it's on one of these websites, that's it's a legitimate offer," said Hutchinson. Ward may not be the only victim. There's a website dedicated to stopping the job scam. There are postings from people from around the country who claim they too have been ripped off. Not concerned so much about the money, Ward says finding the crook would be worth the $69 loss. "We would be even. I got him. That's what it would mean to me and it would stop him in the future from scamming other people,” said Ward. When applying for a job, you should never have to pay for any fees for things like drug tests or background checks. The employer should always foot the bill. If you become a victim to a scam the BBB says you should contact the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). Also contact your credit card companies so that they can be on the lookout for fraud.
Thursday 6 November 2008
New US Scam Targets Window Cleaners
MEMPHIS, TN - An accused scam artist is behind bars after police say he conned hundreds of people out of thousands of dollars. You could be one of the victims and not even know it. The accused crook offers to give you a job. But instead, he takes your money and your personal information, then takes off. With job security not so secure, some people have become desperate to find a job. And websites like Monster, Hot Jobs and Career Builder are staring to receive a lot of hits. A couple of weeks ago Kevin Ward was looking for a job and he thought he found it. He even went for a job interview at the Clark Tower in East Memphis. The job posting was for a window washer. It paid $21/hour and required a $69 processing fee. A fee Ward thought was for a background check and a drug test. "I got scammed out of $69. When I first found out I got scammed, I was going to just chalk it up and take the loss. Then I realized he had all my information." Information Ward says could make him a victim of identity theft. "Social Security number, address, phone number."The job posting looks very legit and Randy Hutchinson, with the Better Business Bureau says that's why people like Ward become victims. "The crooks post jobs there and they also contact people who have posted their resumes there so you cannot assume just because it's on one of these websites, that's it's a legitimate offer," said Hutchinson. Ward may not be the only victim. There's a website dedicated to stopping the job scam. There are postings from people from around the country who claim they too have been ripped off. Not concerned so much about the money, Ward says finding the crook would be worth the $69 loss. "We would be even. I got him. That's what it would mean to me and it would stop him in the future from scamming other people,” said Ward. When applying for a job, you should never have to pay for any fees for things like drug tests or background checks. The employer should always foot the bill. If you become a victim to a scam the BBB says you should contact the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). Also contact your credit card companies so that they can be on the lookout for fraud.
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