Put a Security Freeze on Your Credit Reports. Scammers know this, too, and will try to trick vulnerable job seekers into giving them money or sensitive personal information. A great part of these losses come from people who have been in an online relationship with an imposter of a soldier. The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation. However, there’s still the possibility that they will collect this information after they have “hired” you, such as when you fill out your tax withholding form (which contains your SSN). While the SSN may be used to steal your identity, it’s illegal for employers and recruiters to ask about your age. Do not make any more payments. If the person you’ve been dealing with stops returning your calls, that could be a sign that something is amiss. You’ve been rejected for credit, but you’ve got a good credit history. And if you get the runaround when you try to make withdrawals, your money could be long gone.Â, You might be surprised how many scam victims just keep it to themselves and the variety of reasons they give for that. If you've discovered a scam or believe you've been a victim of one, then you can help yourself and others by reporting it to your state consumer protection office or the federal government. If you're the victim of identity theft or you believe … Make Careful Notes and Save the Evidence, Americans lose some $50 billion a year to financial fraud, AARP Investment Fraud Vulnerability Study, Non-traditional Costs of Financial Fraud: Report of Survey Findings, Publication 547 (2019), Casualties, Disasters, and Thefts. Often times scammers can be easy enough identify and avoid, but we don't always have our guards up and some are more clever than others. Once you are confident that you are a victim of an … If the scammer is using a fraudulent website. Scroll down and click the Seller's Name. Even though you may have missed what now seem like obvious red flags, you aren’t the first and, sadly, you won’t be the last. Lifewire tells us that “If you've given out your card number or bank information to a suspected scammer, then you need to tell your financial institution as soon as possible so they can put a hold on your account to prevent further charges against it.” Call or go to your nearest bank location. The law is complex and changes often. So don’t be too hard on yourself. Click Marketplace. Accessed Sept. 27, 2020. As with any job seeker scam, the ultimate goal is theft—whether it’s an upfront payment or the disclosure of sensitive information in exchange for purportedly being considered for a job. Americans lose some $50 billion a year to financial fraud, according to the Stanford Center on Longevity’s Financial Security Division. If it ever happens to you or someone close to you, here’s what to do. Be especially wary of any who ask for their fee in advance—a tactic that is illegal in itself, according to the FTC. U.S. Federal Trade Commission. A 2015 survey from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation found that only 35% of financial fraud victims reported the incident to the authorities. “It’s truly difficult in the moment to know that you’re being scammed,” Walsh says. Be sure to protect yourself against job seeker scams and ask a lawyer if you have questions or concerns. "AARP Investment Fraud Vulnerability Study," Page 12. If nothing else, you might have the satisfaction of helping put a scam artist out of business for a while. There are two types of fraud alerts you can place on your report after discovering that you've been scammed: an initial fraud alert and an extended fraud alert. Contrary to popular perception, it’s not just the most vulnerable or gullible among us who fall prey to financial scams. A 2017 study by the AARP’s Fraud Watch Network reported that investment fraud victims were more likely than investors in general to have at least a four-year college degree and to make more than $50,000 per year. The list of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme victims, to cite one famous example, included any number of people you might think would know better. If you’re certain you were the target of a job seeker scam, you’ll want to take additional actions: Even if you love what you do for a living, searching for a job is perhaps one of the most universally disliked aspects of anyone’s career. It’s much easier for scammers to take advantage of job seekers when it’s billed as a work-from-home job, since they don’t have to worry about faking their workplace. 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