DENVER (KDVR) – Fake job listings are among the top 11 job scams in the country, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Sonya Perez tells FOX31 she answered a job listing for a work-from-home data entry job on social media that seemed like the key to supporting her family.
“You’re trying to lower these limits because you’re looking for work for your family,” she said.
A so-called cannabis industry representative texted Perez saying the job paid $30 an hour and $17 an hour for training. Soon after, the man made a common request.
“When I started to doubt is [when] they asked me to send them $1,000,” Perez said.
The scammer offered to support the claim by sending a $2,500 check to Perez’s bank account as a good faith measure. Perez sent $1,000, but the sender’s check never cleared the bank. This is called overpayment fraud.
The FTC reports that the top employment scams include false job offers, product reshipping, mystery shopping, and offering nanny, babysitter, and government services. Most offer the option to work from home.
Red flags include offers to overpay.
Perez cautions anyone faced with a deal that seems too good to be true to consider what makes sense before you act.
“There’s no way they’re going to make the CEO do the hiring process. For me to send a thousand dollars, especially to a large corporation, no I don’t think so,” she said.
Perez later learned that the cannabis business didn’t even exist in Colorado.
The FTC advises doing a Google search for companies posting jobs online. Enter the word “fraud” in the search. Don’t wait to pay to apply for a job, and never trust checks that don’t clear your bank.
