A Message From the Desk of Sheriff Carmine Marceno
Following the pandemic, an enormous segment of the workforce was offered an opportunity to work from home… many never wishing to return to the office environment.
“Work from home” opportunities began to appear nearly everywhere… online, via text, and in print.
Many of these job offerings were legitimate opportunities to generate income from home.
Many were opportunities for scammers to generate revenue by stealing money and personal information from unsuspecting job seekers.
The Federal Trade Commission is now issuing warnings regarding some of the fraudulent activity found online, by way of text and on apps such as “WhatsApp.”
It begins with an offer for a position that pays many hundreds of dollars, per day, for work that can be performed at home. They offer a seemingly easy way to earn quick money, “from home,” and in your “free time.” Jobs may include data entry, stuffing envelopes, customer assistance, rebate processors, online reshipping, etc.
The requirements are almost non-existent… as one only requires a valid Social Security number. It doesn’t get easier than that!
Once your personal information, inclusive of your Social Security number is received, you have heard the last from this “employer.”
You have become another victim of identity theft.
These scams are not exclusive to Southwest Florida. They are being perpetrated across the globe. Since the pandemic, the number of similar scams reported to the FTC has more than tripled.
Scammers have additionally learned how to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create phony job postings and to create fictitious job posting sites using fake URLs, corporate logos, and the names of well-known national and international companies.
As it is imperative that new employers obtain an employee’s Social Security number and bank account information (for purposes of direct deposit of your earnings), job seekers are rarely hesitant to provide this information.
Some of these scams require the job applicant to pay upfront “expenses” such as application fees.
There is no shame when one is fooled by these job postings. Many computer-savvy and perceptive business people have been scammed by this practice.
Some thoughts:
In virtually all scams, including the false job posting scheme, the ad sounds too good to be true… because it is. There is usually a sense of urgency created by the scammer.
If you’re asked to pay upfront fees… it’s a scam.
Prior to providing ANY information, obtain the corporate name and address. Use this information to locate the real corporate website. Using the phone number(s) posted on the website, call first to verify the legitimacy of the offer and the employment status of the individual who has made the offer to you.
Visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) to report fraudulent activity. This information is then shared with thousands of local law enforcement agencies.
