SACRAMENTO, California — If you’re looking for a job right now be aware of scammers taking advantage of this pandemic.
According to a 2020 Better Business Bureau report, more than half of fake online job postings are related to becoming a “warehouse distribution coordinator” or a similar position involving package reshipment with well-known retailers like Amazon or Walmart.
Ashton Bingham and Art Kulik with Trilogy Media confront scammers and document it on their YouTube channel.
“They’re going around constantly,” Bingham said. “They’re always changing and they love any public crisis or pandemic. Especially right now it’s rampant.”
Bingham and Kulik say there are a few things they’ve noticed with scammers.
“You always look at the email address when you’re corresponding with somebody,” Bingham said. “Is it a random Gmail? That’s a big red flag.”
The BBB says scammers will convince you to give them your social security number or banking information for direct deposit or charge you upfront for “training.” They may also overpay you with a fake check and ask you to wire back the difference.
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Bingham and Kulik have even noticed scammers using LinkedIn to connect with job seekers. They recommend people save the photo of the person reaching out and do a Google image reverse search.
One way to do that on your computer is by going to images.google.com and upload the image. It’s a way of finding out if the person isn’t who they claim to be.
Got a personal or business finance question that needs an answer? Let the Dollars and Sense team know by texting us at 916-321-3310.