The FBI is sounding the alarm against Internet job scams

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It is a very old scam whose ease of execution has been multiplied by new technologies. The FBI has just released a note to the American public to warn of the dangers of online job scams.

There is indeed an urgent need to act because scams of this type have multiplied in the United States last year. Worse, the average amount of money stolen from victims now stands at $ 3,000, enough to seriously alert the federal police.

The procedure has proven to be extremely effective. A user responds to a job advertisement on a corporate site fabricated by the scammers. They also sometimes post their offers on legitimate job sites, which multiplies the risks.

Attempting to spot warning signs
Victims are then offered a mock job interview, usually by teleconference. A job offer is then made, most often at home and this is where the trap closes. Internet users are asked to supply sensitive information in order to continue the procedure: copy of the driving license, social security number and … information on their credit card.

Cybercriminals then use this personal data to embezzle money, open new bank accounts, or even hijack the identity of the impersonated person to obtain false identity documents.

Faced with these risks, the FBI provides valuable advice to Internet users. First of all, you should obviously be wary when asked for money or sensitive banking information not necessary for the constitution of a file. It may also be a good idea to verify the identity of recruiters and the company itself. We can thus identify when a site is a more or less coarse imitation of that of a real company.

So beware of all the warning signs of a scam. This is not necessarily obvious and these scams sometimes succeed because the people targeted are so eager to find a job that their level of attention is reduced.