FOX 17 is tracking the most common scams around West Michigan to protect your wallet, and your identity. Fox 17 spoke with the Better Business Bureau who says right now, they're seeing employment scams across West Michigan increase. They've been on the rise since 2020 when a lot more jobs went digital during the pandemic. But now, scammers are even more strategic at pretending to be a legitimate employer.
Katie Grevious, Marketing and Community Relations Manager for the BBB says employment scams make up 90% of their investigations. "Hey, do you want to make $1,000 an hour?" is the most common way scammers present their offer. The most common scam is easy side hustles. "We have a lot of college students who are maybe graduating and need to pay off student loans, and they're not familiar with that job world yet, so they're very vulnerable in these situations, especially those that are newer to the job market," Grevious explains. "They're not used to the rest of us who have to go out and hit that pavement and hand out those old school resumes, because that's not how the world works anymore."
It’s not just college students. Other victims: people who may have recently been laid off and found themselves on the job search after a lifetime career. "They're creating fake job search applications, and they're mimicking real companies and putting those call outs on social media, on some of those job search websites. They know how to manipulate that algorithm so it slips under the radar, and those sites you know have to find them and take them down," says Grevious.
Grevious says victims are lured into performing tasks that often require upfront payments. This can go on for weeks, before realizing the job is illegitimate. "They have you do interviews. They have you fill out paperwork. They send you all kinds of information that you would normally receive if you were interested in a job," Grevious explains, "Some or most people actually start doing the job. It's usually remote and it's usually decent pay."
Grievous says scammers research our habits and what’s trending. Like a legitimate employer, scammers often ask for your Social Security number and bank account for direct deposit. "The really scary part of the employment scams is it's not uncommon to give your Social Security number because you might have to go through a background check. That is a totally normal request from a legitimate company."
It all leads to identity theft and financial loss that Grevious warns is almost impossible to recover.
"Once you hand over that bank account number for that direct deposit, they can easily drain your bank account and disappear. And then the bank has to put a freeze on your account or shut it down, or in some cases, they may refuse to bank with you anymore."
If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Grievous says scammers pitch lucrative offers to grab your attention. The scam is often not obvious at first.
Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true & vague descriptions. Scammers cast a wide net to entice the most amount of people at once.
Be wary of work-from-home offers, shipping/warehouse opportunities, and secret shopper positions. BBB research found many fake job offers related to becoming a "Warehouse redistribution coordinator" or similar jobs involving reshipping packages, which are often purchased with stolen credit cards.
On-the-spot job offers are a red flag. A legitimate company wants to make sure you are a good fit for the job and the company first.
Don't fall for a fake check scam. Be wary if the "employer" asks you to deposit a check and transfer funds to another account for training or equipment or for any other reason. You should never cash a check for more than you are owed.
If you think you're being scammed or have been the victim of a scam, report it to the BBB and the FBI.
