How to Avoid an Unemployment Scam

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Learn about payment transfer scams.

   In these scams, the scam artist poses as an employer, gains the trust of the person being scammed, and then obtains access to their bank account by either:
   Asking for bank account information in order to make direct deposit payments. “Hiring” the person being scammed to deposit checks for them and then wire them the cash.
   
   The problem with this scam is that the original check provided by the “employer” is a fake one, and by the time the banks figure it out the person being scammed has already withdrawn and sent the cash, and so becomes responsible for paying back the bank while the fake employer gets away with the money.
2. 2

   Step 2: Watch out for scams disguised as job invitations.

   In some cases, a scam artist might send an email to you posing as an employer who found your resume online and who has a potential employment opportunity for you.
   
   They’ll typically invite you to complete a fake online job application that asks for sensitive personal or financial information.
   
   They can then use this information to access your bank accounts or other personal accounts in order to get money from you. , There are a huge number of scams that focus on convincing people that they need to provide some sort of sensitive personal information such as a driver’s license number, a PIN, passport information, bank account numbers, credit or debit card numbers, or social security numbers.
   
   These scams will usually try to convince you that you need to provide this information in order to move forward with a job application or to access some service that you think you’re purchasing.
   
   Most legitimate businesses and employers will not ask for this type of information, and if they do, they’ll do it in a secure, documented, and traceable way. , There are a number of websites that offer to help you file for unemployment benefits in exchange for a small service fee.
   
   These sites are scams designed to take not only the money you pay them as a fee, but also to obtain important personal data such as your name, address, phone number, email, and other sensitive information that can then be used to access your bank accounts or other sources of funding.
   
   Always remember that the only way to file for unemployment benefits is directly through official government paperwork or websites.
   
   Never trust anything or anyone that offers to file on your behalf or by using something other than state-issued forms or government websites. , Working overseas is an appealing idea to many people, especially those who have recently lost a job or who are looking to make significant career changes.
   
   Many scam artists will leverage this appeal to convince people to fill out fake job applications or to send them personal or financial information that can then be used to gain access to people’s bank accounts or other personal accounts. , A common approach used by many scam artists is to send emails posing as the government.
   
   These emails typically tell people that they need to fill out a form or provide the state with some sort of personal information that can then be used by the scam artist to access people’s accounts.
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   Step 3: Beware scams that ask for personal ID verification.

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   Step 4: Understand unemployment benefit scams.

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   Step 5: Beware scams that offer overseas job opportunities.

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   Step 6: Watch out for scams posing as the government.

Detailed Guide

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