Federal investigators say job scams are hitting people hard right nowand can come in many forms, including remote work, cryptocurrency work, nanny or caregiver opportunities, and secret shopper jobs, to name a few.
But it’s not just jobs, but sometimes training with an expensive upfront payment that promises big bucks on the back end and doesn’t deliver.
When Doris Krupp saw a post on Facebook for a remote job with flexible hours, she responded.
”The post was a bit vague, but I trusted it because it was from someone in the community that lived here,” said Krupp.
She was told it was for a data entry job, but after some strange questions about her credit score and a request to buy gift cards, Krupp ended the conversation and her interest in the job.
“I thought I was being cautious, but it just wasn’t real,” said Krupp.
Adah Rodriguez at the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado says she’s seeing an uptick in complaints about phony jobs and training opportunities that can be expensive but don’t deliver on promises.
”People are looking to find work that might pay more or additional training opportunities that then would allow them to earn more at their current job,” said Rodriguez.
In the complaints from job seekers, they were concerned about what was being asked of them right away.
”They want you to pay for a service that they might not deliver on. In some situations, if it truly is a scam, they also want your personal information,” said Rodriguez.
Local career centers are a good place to start when looking for better opportunities.
”We are truly a neutral place for people to go to and have unbiased opinions and opportunities to look at training and look at in-demand industries. We’re looking at what our region has and what opportunities are here for the future,” said CEO of the Pikes Peak Workforce Center Traci Marques.
While career coaches are available to help answer questions at career centers, they know many people may prefer to pursue career opportunities on their own, but that’s where doing the research matters.
”Really looking at the cost and making sure it’s cost-effective and the return on investment you’re going to get by providing that training at that job opportunity and that position is really going to pay off the training that you received,” said Marques.
This article was written by Patrick Nelson for KOAA.
