Comments on: Don’t let ID thieves hijack your job hunt

By: Elliott Boston, MA

Elliott Boston, MA — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:22:16 +0000

It seems this is the norm. I used to get so many emails stating that they have a wonderful job with lots of promotion opportunites etc. What I did notice is that the dollar amount of compensation is always between like 42K and 45K per year. Now when ever I spot emails or job ads that have that dollar amount or similiar information I disregard them.

Hope this helps

By: Robin, Eugene Oregon

Robin, Eugene Oregon — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:20:44 +0000

I had someone call me from a local job listing site for a job with an insurance company. I was very puzzled by this call because I am a technician, not an insurance agent.

A Google search on this company returned a LOT of people pointing out that this company was a scam. So I did some more digging.

They said they were listed on the Fortune 500, Not according to Hovers. Other calls reviled no ASBN on file, and no license to operate with in the state.

I notified the job service of my mindings.

By: Annie

Annie — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:45:16 +0000

N., I couldn’t agree more! Federal law now requires that hospitals/health care providers use patient I.D. numbers that are NOT (as they were formerly) Social Security numbers, so why are prospective employers still allowed to require S.S. #s?

By: N. Kng, Beaverton, OR

N. Kng, Beaverton, OR — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:40:02 +0000

It’s very aggravating to have an online job application where the employer *requires* that I fill in my SSN and/or my drivers license number. Sometimes filling in 999-99-9999 works and other times it doesn’t. With the risk of identity theft so high now, it’s not reasonable or responsible to require this information in order to apply!

By: Steve Kroll, Knoxville.TN

Steve Kroll, Knoxville.TN — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:28:42 +0000

I would not post my resume online because even if you do not give every bit of information normally found on a resume, it is still very unsafe. Online job searches generally do not work very well, the risk outweighs the reward in most cases.

By: Sharon Myrlte Beach, SC

Sharon Myrlte Beach, SC — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:52:13 +0000

Craigslist job boards are full of scammers. They send you to a link and then ask for information or will send you an email asking you to go to a website to fill out the information.

I’ve even had people call me after applying to positions on Craigslist but they can’t give me the information of the company I applied to. I’ve also had emails and people ask me to go to a website and get my credit report and then contact them with the score for “auto insurance” purposes. It’s ridiculous.

I just email them back that I will be happy to provide my credit score if I am hired for the position.

By: Kama Timbrell, New York, NY

Kama Timbrell, New York, NY — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:57:10 +0000

I recently uploaded my resume to a job board, not thinking about it including my home address. I was contacted about a sales job by an insurance company, and later that week received some direct mail from the same company (and it wasn’t a company that had ever contacted me before via direct mail). Of course, it could have just been a coincidence, but it made a light flash in my head that told me including my home address online wasn’t such a great idea. Although, comment #1 has reminded me that city and state should be included.

By: Greg Wood, Aliso Viejo, CA

Greg Wood, Aliso Viejo, CA — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:44:08 +0000

As a Career Counselor I advise you, the job seeker, to provide only your name, city, state and email address on your resume. That’s it. No street address, no phone number. If someone is really interested in you they will contact you via email. Now you’re in control and you can ask relevant questions to determine the validity of the contact.

By: T A Hendrickson Greensburg Pa

T A Hendrickson Greensburg Pa — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:57:20 +0000

I am a software/database developer who does a lot of contracting
Over the years, I have found many scams while job hunting.

Often I am contacted by individuals who have obviously not bothered to read my qualifications.

Usually these were some form of sales position. Often they are “legal” such as the old Rainbow vacumn cleaners or insurance sales. The principal seems to be that everyone has a couple of people he can sell to so the manager makes money but the poor sucker desperate enough to fall for these scams is the least likely to be able to afford the loss.

Just be aware that nobody will give you anything. You have to bring value to the table. Look at yourself honestly to determine your value to a company from a business point of view.
If they offer much much more than that, it is a scam.

That being said, do not price yourself too low either. Just be honest with yourself