Q: My daughter is out of school and has been offered a "work from home" type job for which she did not apply. They are offering good money for the little work she will be doing. They're now asking for personal information; this does not sound right. Any advice BBB can give me?
A: During the summer months, there's a huge rush of students looking for jobs to get some much needed work experience, and extra cash. Unfortunately, scammers know this and they take full advantage.
Jim Winsett of the BBB. Here are a few red flags to look out for:
* Offered a job with no application – If you posted your resume on an online job website and are offered a job out of the blue from someone you haven't interviewed or communicated with; this is more than likely a scam. Remember to never give out your personal information to a potential employer until you've researched them. Trusting a random offer could potentially lead to an identity thief having all of your information.
* Generic titles – Some job types typically lure in scam victims more than others. Be leery of work-from-home, secret shopper, door-to-door sales or anything else with a generic title. Positions that don't require special training or licensing appeal to a wide range of applicants. If you see the job posted online, look to see if the exact same posting for the job pops up in other cities, if it does, know it's more than likely a scam.
* Fees required – If a potential employer requires fees for training, materials, background or drug tests, proceed with caution. These costs normally fall on the shoulder of the employer, not the future employee. Also, if they ask you to wire transfer money for "work-related" expenses, it is definitely a scam.
* High pay for little work – If a potential employer promises you a lot of money for simple part time work, work with no experience required, or to work from home, proceed with caution, as this is most likely too good to be true.
* No job details – If the company doesn't provide you with details of the job in writing, or is not responsive to your questions, take that as a sign to move on.
* No contact information – If the company's website doesn't have any contact information like an address and phone number, or just lists an email address as the point of contact, take that as a red flag. We wouldn't recommend you do business with a company you can't get a hold of as a consumer, or a job seeker.
Before saying yes to a potential employer, look up the company at bbb.org.
If you fall victim to a work scam, or come across a potential scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker (bbb.org/scamtracker) to help warn others.
Jim Winsett is president of the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga