The Department of Labor is claiming the jobless rate to be approximately 8.6%, but some media sources such as Fox News, and Glenn Beck claiming national jobless rates at more like 20%.  The reason for the discrepancy may be due to those who have given up looking for work, those who have run out of benefits, and those who have gone back to school to gain new skills to aid in the job search.  That being said, those who are still out there looking for gainful employment may be in the company of the ever-increasing number of scam victims on Internet Job Boards.

Jobseekers are using every available resource out there to find a job in this economic downturn.  Some sources of choice are Craigslist, CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, among others.  Theses are all great tools to use and take advantage of when looking for work. However, there is a dark side to replying to a job ad or posting your resume on these sites.

One of the dark sides of these sources is vile, greedy, Con artists who are targeting the vulnerable and unemployed.  More scam artists seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days and the worse the economy gets, the more scams pop up.  Jobseekers need to be very cautious and wary of their personal information and identity when sending out their resumes.

Two scams in particular that come to the attention of some jobseekers, are fraudulent companies who are taking advantage of people by posting jobs on Craigslist and CareerBuilder, posing as legitimate companies searching for Administrative, Executive, Personal, or Legal Assistants.  Many of these postings claim to be offering salaries of $20 per hour and up.  Once an applicant sends their resume either by email, upload or coping and pasting their resume, they get a reply asking to log onto Facebook to get more information on the job posting.  Once the applicant logs onto Facebook, there is more often than not, no further information.  

There's more. An applicant might also get an email asking for more personal information such as "full legal name, address, sex, age, city, state, zip code," and so forth.  Many of these postings are looking for unsuspecting people to act as a middleman and accept delivery of packages; process payments through their personal bank accounts, and ship the items back out of the country for an unknown business entity.  These items may consist of electronics and other items: many of which may be stolen goods.

Another scam that is one in which collection agencies or scam artists are posting jobs as Administrative, Executive, or Legal Assistants and when the applicant posts their resume, they begin to get threatening phone calls claiming that there have been criminal charges brought against the applicant.  They are given a phony case number and told to call the "Plaintiff" to avoid being served with a Summons and Complaint.  When the applicant calls, the person on the other end of the call demands payment in full immediately by credit card. Often times, these threatening callers will have the last four digits of the applicants social security number but ask for the full number.  If there is an actual debt, more likely than not, the collection agency will already have the full Social Security Number.

Advice to all jobseekers out there; be cautious of the postings that you apply for.  Protect your personal information and take the time to research potential employers and verify that the job posting is legitimate.  Post resumes to reputable companies or go through your local city or county job board when possible to search for opportunities.  Do not give your Social Security Number to anyone on a job board.  If someone needs your Social Security Number to verify your credit as many companies do today, make sure you are providing that information only when necessary and only to a verifiable company.

Today's job market is tough enough for jobseekers without the added stress of becoming the victim of a scam that could cost you money rather then pay off in the form of a new career.   Be vigilant and take all precautions to make your job search a safe and successful one.The Department of Labor is claiming the jobless rate to be approximately 8.6%, but some media sources such as Fox News, and Glenn Beck claiming national jobless rates at more like 20%.  The reason for the discrepency may be due to those who have given up looking for work, those who have run out of benefits, and those who have gone back to school to gain new skills to aid in the job search.  That being said, those who are still out there looking for gainful employment may be in the company of the ever increasing number of scam victims on Internet Job Boards.