How to Avoid Online Job Scams

Be very wary of an email from someone you don't know, regardless of the logos and names visible in the email message. cLogos and names can be "borrowed." And, since the From: email address may be "spoofed" with some email software, do not trust that the From: address is genuine. It may not be!

Fake LinkedIn Profiles are created, and they are used to post "opportunities" in LinkedIn Groups. Of course, sometimes real LinkedIn Profiles share fake jobs, too. LinkedIn does try to eliminate the fake Profiles, and limit access (or remove the accounts) when someone with a real Profile spreads junk inside of LinkedIn.

In this scam, the real employer doesn't have anything to do with the posting. This scam abuses a legitimate employer's identity. I call it "corporate identity theft." The scammers are pretending to be the real employer advertising bogus jobs that are completely unrelated to the legitimate employer named in the posting or on the site.

The fact that an employer, or a scammer, must first pay a job board in order to post jobs does NOT guarantee that the job is legitimate. The scammers may make enough money off their scam to cover the cost of the posting. Or they may be scamming the job board, too, by using a stolen credit card to pay for the posting.

The fake job boards usually require you to "register" before you can see the job postings, but they may allow you to select the "job" you want first and then collect your information. There may -- or may not -- be any jobs (bogus or legitimate) posted on these sites.