BBB: Employment Scams Riskiest
March 6, 2019 6:58AM CST
- Employment scams were the “riskiest” scams in 2018 with “more instances and higher losses than in previous years,” according to a Better Business Bureau news release.
- Melissa Lanning Trumpower, BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust Executive Director says “Employment scams are particularly egregious because they prey on people who are already feeling pinched and may be desperate for work.”
- Employment scams collect the same information as the usual job application – name, address, birth date, social security number, and bank account – everything a scammer needs.
- And it isn’t just among one or two demographics. Employment scams ranked riskiest among six age groups, both sexes, and also among military families, veterans, and students.
- Leading impersonated employers include the IRS and other government agencies, Publishers Clearing House, Microsoft, Apple, and even the Better Business Bureau itself.
- Have you or someone you know been the victim of an employment scam? What happened?