The Better Business Bureau investigates thousands of scams every year, from the latest gimmicks to schemes as old as the hills. Our new Scam Source (www.bbb.org/scam) is a comprehensive resource on scam investigations from BBBs around the country, with tips from BBB, law enforcement and others. You can sign up to receive our scam alerts by email, and you can also be a scam detective yourself by reporting scams you have discovered or experienced.
1. Top job scam. BBB sees lots of secret shopper schemes, work-from-home scams, and other phony job offers, but the worst job-related scam can dash your hopes and steal your identity.
Emails, websites and online applications all look very professional, and the candidate is even interviewed for the job (usually over the phone) and then receives an offer.
To start the job, however, the candidate has to fill out a “credit report” or provide bank information for direct
deposit of their “paychecks.” The online forms are nothing more than a way to capture sensitive personal data, such as Social Security numbers and bank accounts, which can easily be used for identity theft. And, of course, there is no job, either.