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July 27, 2009
With Colorado’s unemployment rate hovering around 8 percent, more folks are looking for work. Also on the rise are employment-related scams and fraudulent job listings, reports Colorado Attorney General John Suthers in a consumer advisory.
Two common rackets involve payment processing and mystery shopper opportunities.
“We see both of these schemes quite frequently,” said Robyn Caffasso, senior deputy district attorney who heads the economic crimes division in the 4th Judicial District. Often they are advertised on Web sites.
“Craigslist is a hotbed of fraudulent activity,” she said. “Anyone can post anything.”
Job-seekers can protect themselves by understanding how these hoaxes work, experts say.
Payment processing scams involve overseas company that claims to need an American representative to transfer money. Job-hunters agree to act as the representative and receive a check from the firm to cash through his or her personal account. The money is wired back to the employer, less a 10 percent commission, which is the wage the employee is paid. The catch is that after the funds are transferred, the employer’s check bounces or turns out to be a fake, overdrawing the victim’s bank account.
In another hoax, job-seekers are offered a position posing as a mystery shopper, visiting stores, restaurants or hotels to evaluate the shopping experience. But in the scam, a recruiter promises a high-paying job and charges application fees for a job that never materializes.
Many legitimate companies do offer mystery shopping services, however. J.C. & Associates, a Colorado Springs company, has been hiring mystery shoppers for 10 years.
President Jason Rivera says reputable companies never charge an application fee. And as for the promise of big bucks: “It’s a misconception that you make a ton of money,” he said. At best, it’s a spare-time opportunity, he said.
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