Phishing is a common way that identity thieves work to obtain your personal information and use it to commit crimes and steal money. Criminals use the phishing technique by creating fake e-mails, job postings or websites as bait to lure in unsuspecting victims.
Sometimes these criminals prey on those seeking employment, using sites such as CareerBuilder. Scammers post an attractive job offer and, once the victim expresses interest, the scammer can get them to reveal personal information.
One of the most common tactics is to send an e-mail to a victim containing a link to a fake online application. The application asks for name, date of birth, address and Social Security number. Some scams use fictional businesses, while others steal the names and logos of legitimate companies.
A victim of identity theft can find his credit rating has been destroyed and his bank account emptied before he even knows a crime has been committed. The victim’s name can appear on fake driver’s licenses, passports or other identification. The victim remains unaware until he starts getting calls from collection agencies for outstanding debts.
A muling scam is a job posting from a foreign business. The scammer claims U.S. companies don’t want to do business with people in his country, so the business owner needs U.S. citizens to take delivery of goods from U.S. merchants and mail them to the employer. The employee will receive a percentage of the value of any items shipped, according to the scammer, posing as the business owner. The goods are usually stolen.
Accepting a job in this circumstance has potentially serious consequences. The goods repackaged and sent are often paid for with stolen credit cards, and law enforcement has no trouble following the trail right back to the person doing the repackaging. The employees are told to label the packages as “gifts” on customs forms, which means the employees have falsified federal documents.
If you are looking for work on CareerBuilder or another similar site, be careful. Examine the offer closely, and don’t provide your personal information up front. A legitimate potential employer won’t need it. If the business doesn’t provide contact information or is located overseas, be cautious.
