This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube video titled "Job Scams and Work at Home Scammers Identity Theft Speaker Expert www.IDTheftSecurity.com" (uploaded March 24, 2009). It contains a short interview-style conversation between an interviewer (Speaker A) and security expert Robert Siciliano about scammers preying on unemployed jobseekers. Topics covered include work-at-home fraud, affinity scams (sending checks that later bounce), warnings to never pay for a job or give out bank/SSN/credit-card information, and practical tips to avoid these scams.
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Uh, hunting meanwhile for a new job? Everyone in this room soon will be. How scammers are hunting you. We're going to hear how they're finding new ways to go after, get this, the unemployed. This is just evil. You're out of a job, right? Get a load of this. Scammers are now out to get you, luring folks with these phony job ads, cheating them out of thousands of dollars or more. So how can you avoid getting hosed while you're in the job hunt? Security expert Robert Siciliano here with some tips. Robert, I can't believe this is going on, but it's almost too easy for them. What do they do?
Well, it is a great time to be a snake oil salesman, and the bottom feeders are out in full force, and they're hungry, and they're winning at this point.
Let's go into the red signs, red flags that should immediately get our ire up. If they ask ever send you money. Some of them actually send you money?
That's called affinity fraud. They actually send you a check that you are supposed to cash and then send them back money. That might happen if you are a mystery shopper, let's say, and that check they send you eventually bounces, and you— but you send them real money. So never ever send anyone any money whatsoever for any reason.
All right. Now, if they try to do something where they ask you to pay in any way, either up front or later on, there's something not right about that, right?
Right. Have you ever had to pay for a job? So the reality of it is when they ask you to pay for a list or they ask you to pay for a kit or to apply for something, that's always a scam. You never ever pay for a job.
That's a good point. They all have this thing though where they say you can work at home. Aren't a lot of these now work at home?
You know, if you, if you look at all these different jobs, work at home jobs, either in classified ads in the local newspaper or online, studies show that as many as 98% of them are fraudulent. If it says work at home, chances are it's a scam.
Okay, step back from it all, and if they're saying now, uh, look, we need some more information from you, either Social Security number or we need a bank account number, bells should be going off, right?
Yeah, absolutely. You know, especially virtually. If they're asking you over the phone or online to plug in your bank account information, your Social Security number, credit card information, you have to know right there and then somebody is trying to fleece you. This day and age, people are desperate, you know, they're looking to put food on the table. Just know that somebody somewhere along the lines is gonna come after you, especially if you're unemployed. They're looking for you. Do not give out personal identifying information for any reason whatsoever.
Man, oh man, Robert, there's gotta be an especially hot place in hell for this type of scammer, you know?
There is, yes.
All right, Robert Siciliano, thank you very, very much. Be warned, folks, please.
