BBB serving Mainland BC is warning would-be job seekers to be wary of employment scams using names of legitimate Canadian companies. Scammers advertise work-from-home administration assistant positions through reputable websites such as Indeed.ca.
“This has been noticed across Canada,” says Evan Kelly, Senior Communications Advisor for BBB serving Mainland BC. “BC business, Gorilla Fence Co., came to us and said their name has been used in such an employment scheme. This was fairly easy to identify as the real Gorilla Fence Co. does not have a website and the scammers set one up using the company name. The victim who contacted us actually lives in Manitoba but the scam website claims Vancouver as its home base.”
As well, BBB serving the Atlantic Provinces noticed several legitimate companies being used this way on the East Coast. Partners Construction and Brooks Levy Construction started receiving numerous emails from all over North America about stay-at-home jobs postings.
“Employment scams was our number one scam in our Top 10 Scams list this year,” adds Kelly. “These are simple cheque cashing schemes where the perp gets would-be employees to deposit large cheques and forward money back to the company. The cheque bounces, of course, and the victim is on the hook. The fact that scammers are using legit companies to convince people the job offer is real is very concerning, and obviously becomes a problem of identity theft for the businesses.”
How to spot this scam:
* Some positions are more likely to be scams. Always be wary of work-from-home or secret shopper positions, or any job with a generic title such as caregiver, administrative assistant, or customer service rep. Positions that don’t require special training or licensing appeal to a wide range of applicants. Scammers know this and use these otherwise legitimate titles in their fake ads. If the job posting is for a well-known brand, check the real company’s job page to see if the position is posted there. Look online; if the job comes up in other cities with the exact same post, it’s likely a scam.
* Different procedures should raise your suspicion. Watch out for on-the-spot job offers. You may be an excellent candidate for the job, but beware of offers made without an interview. A real company will want to talk to a candidate before hiring. Don’t fall for an overpayment scam. No legitimate job would ever overpay an employee and ask for money to be wired elsewhere. * Research the company. Do a Google search and approach a business yourself.
* If the wage is more than what you’d expect. This could be an indication of a scam.
* Government agencies post all jobs publicly and freely. The U.S. and Canadian federal governments and the U.S. Postal Service/Canada Postal Service never charge for information about jobs or applications for jobs. Be wary of any offer to give you special access or guarantee you a job for a fee — if you are paying for the promise of a job, it’s probably a scam.